"Teams are very motivated against us" - Marquinhos admits Lorient gave PSG a difficult time in 1-1 Ligue 1 draw
Ten-man Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) snatched a late 1-1 draw to relegation-battling Lorient in a tense Ligue 1 clash on Wednesday night. Their captain Marquinhos admitted that his side were given a difficult time by their spirited hosts.
Mauro Icardi snatched a vital equalizer in the 91st minute, canceling out Thomas Monconduit's first-half opener for Les Merlus after Sergio Ramos was sent off in the 85th minute.
The draw was PSG's third in their last four top-flight games, hinting at a drop in form despite boasting a healthy 13-point lead at the top of the table.
A late late @MauroIcardi goal spares PSG an embarrassing defeat 😶🌫️ https://t.co/WGvK4iDNgV
Speaking to the press after the game, Marquinhos lamented his side's inability to take their chances but also acknowledged the threat Lorient posed to them. He said:
“It's true, we try, we got the ball, they waited behind. They waited for our mistakes to score. We have one less player in second and we managed to score. If we had managed to score our chances in the first half, we would have had the advantage. We also want the matches to materialize more easily.
"The teams are very motivated against PSG. They put us in difficulty by being all behind. They defended well. Any team that plays against them like that is going to have a hard time too. We need to be more vigilant behind, to have more movement to create opportunities. The holidays are going to be good," he added.
Lionel Messi saw an effort come off the crossbar while Icardi failed to connect to a decent cross from Achraf Hakimi with Angel Di Maria slicing his effort wide on the rebound.
Icardi, however, saved PSG's blushes by heading home a fantastic cross from Hakimi in stoppage-time.
PSG's promising summer is threatening to fizzle out
PSG may continue to rule the roost in Ligue 1, sitting 13 points clear of second-placed Nice, but their form lately has been patchy.
The Parisians have drawn thrice in their last four games, and required similar stoppage-time heroics from Georginio Wijnaldum against Lens a few weeks ago.
Despite boasting arguably the most talented squad in world football, Mauricio Pochettino's side have struggled to hit their peak lately with Neymar also sidelined with a serious ankle injury.
Sergio Ramos gets his first red card for PSG 🟥 https://t.co/HlIUoU5C0M
There were plenty of expectations from the side following a raft of new arrivals in the summer, including Messi and Ramos. But it's been an underwhelming end to their 2021.
PSG now head into the Christmas break and return to action on 4 January 2022 in the French Cup game against Vannes. That fixture will be followed by a daunting trip to Lyon for a league encounter six days later.