Thursday , November 7 2024

Di Maria on the mark as PSG turn focus to Real

– Weah emulates his father –

Troyes goalkeeper Erwin Zelazny produced a series of saves to deny Di Maria, and then Giovani Lo Celso twice in the first half, but the home goal was breached after a defensive lapse on 47 minutes.

A poor clearance followed by further miscommunication in the Troyes backline gifted Julian Draxler the opening to slide in Di Maria and the Argentine masterfully dinked the ball over an advancing Zelazny.

Twenty-year-old Nkunku sealed the win on 77 minutes, picking out the far corner of the net after gathering a threaded pass from Dani Alves as the linesman’s flag controversially stayed down.

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Troyes boss Jean-Louis Garcia and his assistant were both ordered to the stands after protesting the decision to allow the goal, with replays indicating Nkunku had strayed marginally offside.

Emery then handed a first-team debut to Timothy Weah, as the son of former PSG star, and current Liberian president, George Weah replaced Lo Celso for the final few minutes.

The 18-year-old US youth international, whose father won the 1995 Ballon d’Or, nearly bagged a debut goal in stoppage time after racing clear of the Troyes defence before being foiled by Zelazny.

Goals from Wahbi Khazri and Ismaila Sarr propelled Rennes up to fifth courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Amiens, while Slovenia forward Robert Beric netted twice for Saint-Etienne in a 2-2 draw with Dijon.

Angers pulled clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0 home win over Guingamp, but Metz remain firmly rooted to the bottom after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Toulouse.

On Friday, Rony Lopes scored his sixth goal in seven games as Monaco came from behind to beat Bordeaux 2-1 to tighten their grip on second place, with Marseille and Lyon not in action until Sunday.

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