‘Mbappe 1st goal + 51st minute for Lee’ PSG draw 1-1 at Toulouse… ‘first winless’ of the season

Paris Saint-Germain were unable to pick up their first win of the season despite the return of Mbappe to the first-team, as Lee Kang-inn continued to impress and disappoint in attack in his second consecutive league start.

PSG played out a 1-1 draw with Toulouse in the second leg of the 2023/24 French Ligue 1 season at the Stade Municipal in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday (Sept. 20).

Luis Enrique’s men were coming off a disappointing performance in their first official meeting with Lorient, which resulted in a draw in the second leg with Lee Kang-In starting and Kylian Mbappe coming on as a substitute.

PSG went with a 4-3-3. Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal, while Luca Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Marquinhos, and Ashraf Hakimi made up the back four. Fabian Luis, Manuel Ugarte, and Warren Zaire-Emery held down the middle, while Lee Kang-in, Gonzalo Hamus, and Vitinha completed the front three.

Toulouse also lined up in a 4-3-3. Guillaume Lestes was in goal with Moussa Diarra, Rasmus Nicolaisen, Logan Costa, and Mikel Tesler in the back four. Gabriel Suazo, Cristian Caceres Junior, and Vincent Sierro combined in the midfield. Up front, Franck Magri, Tees Darlinga, and Zakaria Aboukral were in the PSG goal.

Lee Kang-in, who started the game on the left wing, put in a solid performance with a steady stream of dribbling runs, crosses, and shots before being substituted in the sixth minute of the second half.

There were questions about Lee’s starting spot and position before the game. Lee was named the official Man of the Match (MOM) for his outstanding performance against Lorient, and was praised for his impressive debut. However, he was met with mixed reviews, with predictions that he would be dropped to a rotation role, with Mbappe and Dembele slotting into the left and right winger positions, respectively.

British outlet Sportsmail had Mbappe, Gonzalo Higuain, and Marco Asensio in their predicted starting lineup against Toulouse. Manuel Ugarte, Vitinha, and Warren Zaire Emery would also start in midfield. There was no place for Lee Kang-in.

Some media outlets even reported that Lee had missed team training, casting further doubt on his chances of starting. According to France’s RMC Sport, “Noldy Moukiele has returned to training. On the other hand, Zaire Emery and Lee Kang-in missed team training and trained separately,” while the French RMC Sport reported, “Lee Kang-in and Zaire Emery trained separately. It’s not an injury. They trained separately to prevent fatigue,” explaining that there is no immediate injury.

However, there was a possibility that Lee would not be able to start consecutive league games right away as he was unable to complete the preseason due to a hamstring injury sustained in Le Havre and played around 80 minutes in his league debut.

Some media outlets predicted the starting lineup. French outlet Le Parisien predicted that the Frenchman would line up alongside Manuel Ugarte and Zaire-Emericka in the center of the midfield, with the trio of Mbappe, Ugarte, and Luca Hernandez forming a formidable attacking force on the left.

French publication RMC Sport also predicted PSG’s starting eleven on its official social media accounts, with Mbappe moving to the left wing in place of Lee, pushing Vitinha, who started the opening game, out of the way and into the midfield. They also predicted that the PSG midfield trio against Toulouse would be Warren Zaire-Emerick Aubameyang-Manuel Ugarte-Lee.

As expected by French media outlets, Lee started, but in his old left winger position, not in the center. However, he left the field after being substituted for Mbappe, so it remains to be seen whether he will compete with Mbappe and Dembele for a starting spot on the wing or start in midfield from the next game.

In the third minute of the first half, PSG pressed hard and had a good chance to get inside the Toulouse penalty area, but Hakimi’s pass from the right flank was a tempo too late for Hammous and his subsequent cross was blocked by the defense, leaving Lee unmarked on the other side.

PSG looked shaky at times as they struggled to cope with Toulouse’s intense forward pressure. In the eighth minute, a cross from Suazo found its way into the PSG box, but Shkreliar was unable to deal with it properly, conceding a corner.

In the 12th minute, Hamus linked up with Lee Kang-In to break up the Toulouse defense, and Lee played a short pass to Ugarte at the edge of the box. Ugarte’s cross to the far post was aimed at Hakimi’s head, but it was a little too far out of play and he was unable to get a shot away.

Lee Kang-in, playing on the left wing, tried to open up the attack with a cross utilizing a long-in kick. In the 17th minute, a transition pass from Vitinha gave Lee the ball in a relatively wide-open area, and instead of dribbling, he attempted a sharp left-footed cross to Hamus in the penalty box, but was unfortunately blocked by the defense.

In the 23rd minute, Lee Kang-in, the designated kicker, nearly found the head of Shkryniar on a corner kick, but his cross was blocked by a defender. From the resulting corner, an onrushing Zaire-Emery and a group of defenders overlapped and the ball went the other way.

Toulouse kept the PSG attack at bay and sent chills down PSG’s spine with sharp counterattacks. In the 28th minute, on the counter-attack, Darlinga made a quick break down the PSG left with the PSG defenders not all back in the box, and he sent in a cross that couldn’t reach Aboukrall in front of goal.

While PSG’s attack was stifled, Lee Kang-in was threatening with strong forward pressing, taking possession away from the Toulouse defense in the attacking zone. In the 34th minute, Lee won the ball in front of the Toulouse penalty box and after a short dribble, he crossed into the penalty area, but neither Hamuth nor Vitinha could connect.

PSG produced their most threatening attack in the 39th minute. After a short run on the right side of the penalty box, Hakimi played a precise cutback pass to Hammouz, who had escaped the attention of the defense. Hammous was untouched by the Toulouse defense and unleashed a precise right-footed mid-range shot, but he missed a crucial chance, sending it wide of the post.

After stifling PSG with a back three, Toulouse threatened the PSG goal on the counter-attack. A loose ball on the counter-attack found Deslauriers at the front of the penalty box, who finished with a mid-range shot that sailed over the top of the net.

Lee Kang-in tried to break up the frustrating offense with a shot late in the first half. In the 44th minute, Lee received the ball on the right side of the penalty box and wasted no time in unleashing a left-footed shot that hit the side netting.

In first-half stoppage time, Fabian’s cross was met by Hamus, and Lee had a second chance as the goalkeeper leapt to get to the ball, but it was blocked. The referee deemed Lee’s shot to be a threat to the goalkeeper in this situation and gave Lee a warning. The first half ended 0-0 with neither team scoring.

PSG rattled the net early in the second half, but the goal was disallowed. In the fifth minute of the second half, Emery’s effort from the edge of the box found the corner of the Toulouse goal, but it was ruled out for offside as Vitinha’s position was slightly ahead of the defender in the previous situation.

Lee left the field six minutes into the second half for Mbappe. Enrique decided to shake things up in the attack, bringing on Mbappe and Dembele in place of Lee and Fabian Luis.

It was Mbappe who was the solution to PSG’s attack. It was Mbappe who opened the scoring, creating his own chances. Mbappe complained of being tripped by a defender in the opponent’s penalty area in the 13th minute of the second half. The game appeared to go on as normal, but the referee checked the video assistant referee (VAR) and clearly pointed to Mbappe’s left foot being caught and awarded a penalty kick.

Mbappe stepped up to the spot kick and stepped up to take the penalty, slotting it neatly into the left corner with his right foot for his first goal of the season and PSG’s first goal of the season.

Not to be outdone by Mbappe was Dembele. In the 29th minute, Dembele used his trademark two-footed dribble to find himself in front of goal from the right side of the penalty box. The Toulouse defense was easily broken down by Dembele, who then went on to shoot. However, his shot didn’t have much impact and was easily blocked by the defense. In the 32nd minute, he played a crucial pass to Vitinha, who was getting back into the defense, but Vitinha’s shot hit the side netting.

PSG couldn’t protect the lead Mbappe had given them until the final minute of the second half. In the 40th minute, Hakimi was fouled inside the box on a corner kick, conceding a penalty. Toulouse stepped up to the spot and Aboukrall fooled Donnarumma perfectly to rattle the PSG net.

After conceding the equalizer, PSG once again utilized Mbappe to pull off the upset. In second-half stoppage time, Mbappe had a chance to shoot from the edge of the penalty box, but was blocked by a tackle. A subsequent cross from Dembele looked to threaten Hakimi with a header, but it went wide of the post.

Neither team was able to add to their tally until late stoppage time, and the game ended 1-1.

Lee Kang-in, who started the game, was often aggressive, completing 79% of his passes (15/19), creating two chances, one shot, and winning two ball competitions. However, his first interaction with Fabian Luis was disappointing, and he was not as effective as he was on the right wing in the last match against Lorient. He was also substituted for Mbappe in the second half, and we didn’t get to see the much-anticipated link-up with Mbappe.

In the run-up to the game, PSG also received a lot of attention for Mbappe’s return to training.

Mbappe, whose contract expires in June 2024, had been under intense pressure from PSG after refusing to extend his contract with the club. He was excluded from the roster for the Asian tour, banned from the first-team training ground, and left out of the opening day squad despite being the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season. 메이저놀이터

However, PSG and Mbappe have suddenly reconciled. PSG announced his reinstatement on the club’s official social media accounts and he joined PSG’s first-team training. “After very constructive and positive discussions between PSG and Mbappe, Mbappe returned to training on the first morning,” the club said on Thursday.

Underlying the reconciliation was an effort by PSG and coach Luis Enrique. French media outlets recently reported that “Mbappe, who has been sanctioned by PSG for the past few weeks, did not even play in the league opener, but relations between the two parties have been moving towards reconciliation in recent hours. PSG is trying to turn the situation around in any case,” adding that PSG took the initiative to reconcile.

In the end, Mbappe proved his worth to the club in his first game back. He opened the scoring five minutes into the second half with a direct penalty kick, and continued to be a threat in attack, creating two chances and winning two dribbles.

With Mbappe back in the first-team, PSG reaped the benefits of his return in the second leg of the league, as they found their stride with an attacking tactic that utilized Mbappe, but were unable to secure a win.