PSG Can Win Because Of Goalkeeper Girona's Own Goalkeeper

Paris Saint-Germain won 1-0 over Girona as goalkeeper Paulo Gazziga's own goal in the Champions League. (uefa.com)

JAKARTA - Paris Saint-Germain had to work hard to beat Girona in the first match of the Champions League. In the match at home at the Parc des Princes Stadium, Thursday, September 19, 2024 in the morning WIB, PSG only narrowly won 1-0 due to goalkeeper Girona's own goal.

Girona being an opponent is not easy for PSG. Despite playing at home, PSG received fierce resistance from the La Liga team that made their debut in this European competition.

PSG actually appeared in the Champions League with strong confidence. Although there is no longer Kylian Mbappe who moves to Real Madrid for free, PSG has not lost consistency.

Coach Luis Enrique proved PSG is a team that does not rely on one or two players. The French Ligue 1 club can still rely on Bradley Barcola who is working hand in hand with Ousmane Dembele and Marco Asensio up front.

While there is Vitinha and Spanish national team midfielder Fabian Ruiz. In the back line, PSG is very solid because there are senior defenders Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi.

In the domestic competition, PSG only conceded three goals in the first four matches. They also got the perfect points so they could perch at the top of Ligue 1 standings. Enrique succeeded in making PSG a team that remained consistent when left by star players.

While competing in European competitions, PSG still showed a confident appearance when they hosted Girona. The match between the two teams is actually a little contrast.

Girona was still unstable when she started the La Liga competition. The departure of forward Artem Dovbyk to AS Roma seems to have quite an impact on Girona's sharpness.

Apart from Dovbyk, Girona lost Savinho's best winger. The Brazilian national team player who was borrowed from Troyes has moved to Manchester City so the Michel coach has to reorganize Girona's strength.

Only Girona's performance is still up and down. They successfully beat Osasuna 4-0 and Sevilla 2-0. However, Donny van de Beek et al suffered a crushing defeat to Atletico Madrid and were last beaten by Barcelona 4-1 at home. Girona is still stuck in the middle board by occupying the 10th position by pocketing the seven points.

When appearing at home to opponents in the Champions League, Girona was actually able to keep up with PSG. They were not awkward when they made their debut.

In the duel, PSG actually had enough control of the game, especially in the first half. Even Girona was unable to release a single shot into the net. Luckily Girona's defense was tough enough to withstand PSG's bumpy attack.

In the second half, PSG increased pressure to break into the opponent's goal. Dembele had a good chance when PSG built an attack in the early minutes of the match.

Unfortunately, Dembele failed to complete the opportunity because his shot was saved by defender Ladislav Krejci. The former Barcelona player also had a chance in the 57th minute. Again, Dembele failed because goalkeeper Paulo Gazziga managed to secure his shot.

Dembele almost broke into Girona's goal for the third time. In the 86th minute, he had just faced the goalkeeper and fired a shot into the net. Gazhaniga is already in the out of position. But the ball is still wide so PSG still can't break into the opponent's goal.

Gazziga actually played brilliantly by making a number of saves. However, the Argentine goalkeeper then made a blunder that led to an own goal in injury time.

Starting from PSG's attack and about to be completed by defender Nuno Mendes. Gazzaniga's efforts to hold the ball failed and instead slid into the goal itself. PSG was winning 1-0 which lasted until the end of the match.