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Cavani late show spares PSG's blushes

Cavani late show spares PSG's blushes

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Publish on 04/29 at 00:00 - S. WILLIS

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Edinson Cavani scored a late brace (pen. 75', 82') as Ligue 1 Conforama champions Paris Saint-Germain battled back from two goals down to snatch a share of the points against EA Guingamp at the Parc des Princes.

 Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 EA Guingamp 

THE MATCH


PSG coach Unai Emery told his players on Friday that he would be leaving at the end of the season, but promised his tenure would end on a high, with a Coupe de la Ligue final still to look forward to. However, it was Guingamp who started brighter in Paris, with Jimmy Briand testing the home goal with a header early on (14'). Giovani Lo Celso span an effort narrowly wide at the other end (15') but most of the first-half traffic was flowing in the other direction, and Guingamp were inches away from talking the lead when Marcus Thuram flew past Dani Alves before squaring for Ludovic Blas who helped the ball onto Nicolas Benezet, but the midfielder saw his subsequent shot stopped on the line by Thiago Silva (22'). Thuram then deflected Étienne Didot's shot onto Alphonse Areola's post (29') before Guingamp finally - and deservedly - broke the deadlock, with Blas spinning home a spectacular effort after Clément Grenier's corner had been headed out by Cavani (45').

Cavani-led comeback


Kylian Mbappé thought he'd pulled one back less than ten minutes into the second half, but his effort was ruled out for offside (54'), and Guingamp pulled further clear when Grenier robbed Lo Celso before whipping a wicked cross into Briand, which the Paris-born forward gleefully steered home for 2-0 (68'). Briand went from hero to villain for the Bretons soon after, though, fouling Lo Celso on the edge of the PSG box. Referee Sébastien Moreira pointed to the spot and Cavani stepped up to send Areola's opposite number Karl-Johan Johnsson the wrong way (74'). PSG would have the final say, too, with second half substitutes Javier Pastore and Thomas Meunier combining to set up Cavani, who headed home his record-setting 115th goal for the French champions (85').

THE PLAYER: Edinson Cavani


This may not have been a vintage performance from PSG but Cavani never fails to impress, even two months into his 31st year. The Uruguayan talisman was a constant menace, firing off a game-high five shots as well as bringing others into the game with his 83 percent pass completion, and was good value for his brace of goals which take him to 27 goals for the campaign, with two more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the club's all-time list.

THE STAT: 41


PSG are no undefeated in a club record 41 home matches in Ligue 1 Conforama. The last time the capital club were beaten at the Parc des Princes was way back in March 2016, when AS Monaco ran out 2-0 winners, with Vagner Love and Fabinho on target that day.



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