Reims equalize in added time to draw 1-1 with PSG

• Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun scored for Reims in added time to draw 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night
• PSG are still on top of the Ligue 1 table with 48 points, three above second-placed Lens

Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun scored for Reims in added time to draw 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night.

Neymar Jr. opened the scoring for the home team at the start of the second half, but they couldn’t collect all three points as the match ended 1-1.

Reims equalized in added time to draw 1-1 with PSG. Photo/ Flipboard.

PSG midfielder Marco Verrati was sent off in the 59th minute for a dangerous tackle on Reims’ Japanese winger Junya Ito.

PSG are still on top of the Ligue 1 table with 48 points, three above second-placed Lens. On the other hand, Reims, who have not lost a league match since October, are 11th on the table with 26 points.

PSG Held To A 1-1 Draw 

PSG started the night just two points ahead of Lens, who are second on the table. The home team had to weather an early storm from Reims with Folarin Balogun and Marshall Munetsi forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma to show his quality on the goalpost.

The first 45 minutes actually belonged to the visitors even though they had nothing to show for it. PSG got into the game after the start of the second half, and their efforts paid off when Neymar Jr scored in the 51st minute. 

However, things would go wrong for Christophe Galtier’s side barely nine minutes later as Marco Verrati received a red card. The Italian midfielder had just played over 10 minutes on his return from injury when he was sent off after a VAR check. 

Despite PSG playing one man less, they still attacked, and Achraf Hakimi even scored, only for his goal to be ruled offside. 

Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun scored the equalizer for Reims in the 96th minute of the match. It was Balogun’s 11th league goal this season. The 21-year-old, who began his career at Premier League club Arsenal, is just one goal behind PSG’s goalscorer Neymar Jr.

Balogun impressed throughout the game with his movement and was a thorn in the side of the PSG defence. He was named the Player of the Match ahead of the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. 

What The Managers Said

PSG have won only two out of the last five league games since the end of the 2022 World Cup, and manager Christophe Galtier admitted there is a problem in his team.

“We were soporific in the first half, we were quickly split in two and we were on the back foot. We abandoned our defence.” Christophe Galtier said, as per AP News.

On the other hand, Reims manager Will Still paid tribute to his team following the hard-fought draw. The Englishman, who has not lost a game since taking over as Reims boss, described the draw as magical.

“It’s magical, honestly. This is why we do this job. To equalize at the 96th minute at the Parc des Princes, in front of so many of your supporters – it’s magical. It’s impossible to choose (between the point earned or the performance), the content was very, very good, especially in the first half, it’s nice to take a point at the Park. We showed a beautiful image of Reims.” Daily Mail quotes Will Still.

Will Still, 30, also praised Balogun, saying that he is a super complete striker.

Folarin Balogun scored late to earn Reims draw against PSG. Photo/ Pro Soccer Wire.