PSG Player Ratings vs Lorient: 2/10 Ramos sees red; Messi, Hakimi get 6.5

Sergio Ramos earned his first red card for Paris Saint-Germain, as the Ligue 1 toppers played out a 1-1 draw with Lorient on Wednesday.

Paris Saint-Germain left it late to secure a 1-1 draw with Lorient on Wednesday. It was a disappointing end to 2021 for PSG, although Mauricio Pochettino’s men were lucky enough to retain their 13-point lead at the top of the table, thanks to Marseille’s draw with Reims.

As the scoreline suggests, it was not the best of performances from the league leaders. Although Pochettino’s men had no issues dominating possession, they simply lacked the X-factor in the final third, especially due to the absence of a certain Kylian Mbappe. It ultimately led to a dearth of clear-cut scoring opportunities.

It was an opposite scenario for their opponents, as Lorient created multiple chances on the counter. Their quick breaks rattled the PSG defenders, to an extent, but some poor finishing from Terem Moffi meant the home team missed two golden opportunities. Nevertheless, Lorient did find their deserved breakthrough in the 40th minute, thanks to a sweet strike from Thomas Monconduit.

PSG pushed men forward in search of the equaliser after the restart but were extremely wasteful in front of goal, with both Georginio Wijnaldum and Angel Di Maria missing goalmouth chances. That was until the added time when an inspiring run from Achraf Hakimi led to a scoring opportunity for Mauro Icardi.

The Argentine made no mistake in converting the chance, thus securing a point for his team. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the PSG players following their disappointing draw with Lorient.

Keylor Navas: 7.5/10

Keylor Navas was one of the few PSG players who managed to impress. The former Real Madrid shot-stopper remained alert throughout the course of the game as Lorient applied the pressure from counter-attacks and set-pieces. He made a few excellent saves in the game, including the one to deny Moffi in the first half.

Achraf Hakimi: 6.5/10

Achraf Hakimi was not at his usual best on Wednesday. Although the right-back offered optimum support going forward with crosses from wide positions, he was unable to utilise his speed. That was until the last few minutes of the game when a bursting run and cross led to Icardi’s equaliser.

Marquinhos: 6/10

Marquinhos had his struggles in dealing with Lorient’s offensive pressure. The Brazilian did not exactly do a great job in keeping tabs on Armand Lauriente, although his leadership and aerial prowess was critical in preventing Lorient from scoring more goals past Navas.

Presnel Kimpembe: 6/10

Presnel Kimpembe made a slow start to the game, as Terem Moffi often found it relatively easy to get in behind the lines. He eventually grew into the game and helped PSG defend the Lorient counter-attacks.

Nuno Mendes: 5/10

It was not the best of games for Nuno Mendes, who simply could not impose his dominance on the left side of the PSG defence, apart from creating a goalscoring opportunity for Mauro Icardi. He was subbed off at half-time.

Ander Herrera: 4/10

Ander Herrera conceded the turnover that led to Lorient’s opener. Although the Spaniard could not have done much to prevent Monconduit’s stunning effort from distance, he certainly lacked control in midfield. It resulted in Lorient often creating counter-attacking opportunities throughout the ninety minutes.

Idrissa Gueye: 4.5/10

Idrissa Gueye was not competent enough to deal with the likes of Monconduit and Laurent Abergel. He also failed to offer any creative essence in the middle third of the pitch, with PSG evidently missing the presence of a certain Marco Verratti.

Georginio Wijnaldum: 5/10

Pochettino deployed Wijnaldum in a slightly advanced role, giving him the freedom to march his way into the box. The move worked out well from a tactical perspective, but the player himself was unable to apply his quality in the final third. He also lacked the confidence to make use of his goalscoring chances.

Lionel Messi: 6.5/10

It was yet another disappointing outing for Lionel Messi. The Argentine international was unable to cause any real problems for the Lorient defenders apart from his occasional dribbles and passes in behind the backline. Messi did create a few scoring opportunities but struggled to find himself in front of one. Nevertheless, he was the pick of the PSG attackers.

Angel Di Maria: 3/10

Angel Di Maria had a nightmare of a game as he failed to cause any threat whatsoever. The charismatic winger was defended expertly by the Lorient defenders. In fact, Di Maria’s presence was quite detrimental to PSG’s chances, as the former Manchester United star missed a goalmouth opportunity while conceding numerous turnovers in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Mauro Icardi: 6/10

Mauro Icardi was quite wasteful in front of goal for a large part of the game. The Argentine forward certainly impressed with his positioning sense, but his lack of efficiency remains a concern for Pochettino, although the Argentine did make amends by converting the late opportunity to seal a point for his side.

SUBSTITUTES

Sergio Ramos: 2/10

Sergio Ramos replaced Mendes, as PSG switched to a three-man backline. But in what was only his second appearance in Ligue 1, the former Real Madrid captain ended up earning two yellow cards in the space of five minutes, leading to his first dismissal in PSG colours. Old habits die hard.

Sekou Oumar Yansane: 5/10

Sekou Oumar Yansane did not make much of a difference after coming on for Herrera in the final phase of the game.