PSG 2-3 Clermont Foot: Player ratings as Messi & Ramos sign off with defeat
By Tom Gott
Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos said farewell to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, checking out after a 3-2 loss to Clermont Foot.
The veteran centre-back opened the scoring on the evening and Kylian Mbappe added a second from the penalty spot, but PSG never looked good value for their lead and conceded twice before half-time.
The visitors, who also missed a penalty, added a third after the break and held on for a much-deserved victory against the league leaders.
Clermont Foot thought they had taken an early lead as Grejohn Kyei snuck in at the back post and scuffed an effort beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma, but a lengthy VAR check justified the wait as the officials spotted a handball and chalked the effort off.
It was a slow start to the game from PSG, who had to wait until the 13th minute for their first real sight of goal. Messi weaved his way into the box and poked an effort towards goal but could not beat Mory Diaw, who got down low to deny Mbappe moments later.
With the pressure building, PSG took the lead as the departing Ramos leapt highest to head into the bottom corner 16 minutes in, just as a tribute to injured goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who wears the number 16, began in the stands.
The chance to double that advantage came soon after when Achraf Hakimi was tripped in the box, and predictably, Mbappe made no mistake from 12 yards to tighten his grip on the Meilleur Buteur.
Marco Verratti gifted Clermont a goal back with a painfully under-hit backpass which allowed Johan Gastien to slide in and convert in the 24th minute, and Muhammed Cham should have equalised immediately after but could not steer his effort on target.
An awkward volley from Hugo Ekitike went sailing over the bar before Clermont were awarded a penalty of their own for a handball from Warren Zaire-Emery, but Kyei sent his spot kick soaring well wide of the post.
The equaliser came with perhaps the final kick of the first half as Donnarumma spilled a save right at the feet of Mahdi Zeffane, who bundled home to tie things up - the least Clermont deserved in an excellent first half.
Mbappe kicked off the second half by squaring for Messi to give the Argentine a straight shot on goal, but he sent his effort blazing over the bar and missed the chance to seal his farewell with a goal.
That profligacy was punished as Clermont took the lead shortly after the hour mark. Elbasan Rashani's cross split the PSG defence perfectly and Kyei made up for his penalty miss to tap home from inside the six-yard box.
While both teams refused to down tools, it became apparently that neither was prepared to make that extra push in a game which had nothing on the line for either side, and Clermont held on for a famous, albeit meaningless, victory.
PSG player ratings (3-4-1-2)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 2/10 - Unconvincing with the ball at his feet. Had to bail himself out of self-inflicted trouble far too many times, and didn't cover himself in glory for either goal in the first half.
CB: Danilo Pereira - 4/10 - Struggled up against Clermont's relentless high press. Couldn't deal with the tempo.
CB: Sergio Ramos - 6/10 - A typically powerful header to bid farewell to the club. Should've done better for the third goal.
CB: El Chadaille Bitshiabu - 3/10 - Targeted by Clermont and regularly torn apart. His inexperience really showed here.
RM: Warren Zaire-Emery - 5/10 - Put himself about but the youngster is not a wing-back and clearly didn't know how to play the position adequately.
CM: Marco Verratti - 4/10 - A huge mistake for Clermont's first goal. Looked a little off the pace.
CM: Vitinha - 7/10 - Impressive with the ball at his feet. Bagged an assist.
LM: Achraf Hakimi - 6/10 - Got forward well and won the penalty, but switched off defensively as Clermont equalised before half-time.
AM: Lionel Messi - 6/10 - Dangerous in the early stages but saw his impact fade as time progressed.
ST: Hugo Ekitike - 5/10 - Tried to get in the right positions but seemed to lack both the composure and ability needed to make the most of those opportunities.
ST: Kylian Mbappe - 7/10 - Not his strongest performance but still found the back of the net and could have added one or two more.
Substitutes
Carlos Soler (57' for Ekitike) - 5/10
Renato Sanches (57' for Vitinha) - 5/10
Alexandre Letellier (80' for Donnarumma) - N/A
Marquinhos (80' for Bitshiabu) - N/A
Ismael Gharbi (88' for Danilo) - N/A)
Subs not used: Lavallee, Pembele, Nhaga
Manager
Christophe Galtier - 5/10 - Had his hands tied with injuries which made his team selection very difficult, but got his tactics wrong with his determination to play out from the back. This group of players was not up for the task.
Clermont Foot player ratings (3-4-2-1)
GK: Mory Diaw (7); CB: Alidu Seidu (6); CB: Mateusz Wieteska (7); CB: Maximiliano Caufriez (6); RM: Mahdi Zeffane (7); CM: Maxime Gonalons (7); CM: Johan Gastien (8); LM: Neto Borges (6); AM: Muhammed Cham (7); AM: Elbasan Rashani (8); ST: Grejohn Kyei (7)
Substitutes: Jim Allevinah (6), Yohann Magnin (6), Saif-Eddine Khaoui (6), Komnen Andric (N/A), Florent Ogier (N/A)