Sergio Ramos was sent off in the first half as Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 0-0 draw by a battling Stade de Reims in Champagne country on Saturday.
Stade de Reims 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain
THE MATCH
PSG coach Christophe Galtier significantly rotated his squad for this trip to the Stade Auguste-Delaune, which fell in between a UEFA Champions League double-header against Benfica and a week ahead of the top-of-the-table clash with Olympique de Marseille. Lionel Messi was not even in the squad, while Neymar Jr was left on the bench at kick-off along with Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi.
Carlos Soler was among those to come in as the Spanish international was handed his first start for the club, and the former Valencia man set up PSG’s best chance of the opening period with a delightful through ball for Kylian Mbappé, whose shot was well saved by Reims ‘keeper Yehvann Diouf (33’).
Diouf had also saved well from Fabián Ruiz (13’), but Reims also posed a threat at the other end and Gianluigi Donnarumma had to get down well to keep out a Marshall Munetsi shot on the turn in the 35th minute.
Then came the big flashpoint of the night, as Ramos was booked for a foul on Dion Lopy and then shown a red card seconds later by referee Pierre Gaillouste for speaking out of turn (42’).
A man down, PSG struggled to create chances after the restart, although Neymar should have scored when put through by Mbappé midway through the second half. However, the Brazilian dragged his shot wide.
In any case, anything less than a draw would have been harsh on Reims, who were rewarded for their dogged display with a first clean sheet of the campaign. Coach Óscar García, back in his native Spain for personal reasons, would have been proud. PSG are now three points ahead of Marseille going into next weekend’s Classique.
THE PLAYER: Sergio Ramos
It is impossible to say that PSG would have gone on to win this game had Ramos not been sent off, as Reims had already been causing them serious problems. However, the Spaniard’s petulance was needless and he will now miss next weekend’s clash with OM due to suspension.
THE STAT: 28
Ramos has now been sent off 28 times in his career.
