Paris turn things round in Madrid

The key moments
Mauro Icardi made a mark first, though couldn’t find the target (9′, 12′); Karim Benzema could when he tucked away the loose ball after an Isco effort had struck a post (1-0, 17′). It was the first time Keylor Navas had been beaten in this year’s competition, and it was only down to his brilliance that Toni Kroos (21′, 27′, 33′), Dani Carvajal (39′) and Marcelo (40′) did not add to the scoreline. The Rouge-et-Bleu had responded, notably through Kylian Mbappé (30′, 36′) and Marco Verratti (32′), and would have had a penalty and a man advantage but for VAR just before the break. Thibaut Courtois was shown a red card and a spot-kick was given for a foul by Madrid’s goalkeeper on Icardi, but a push by Idrissa Gueye was eventually spotted in the build-up to the incident, and the penalty and dismissal were annulled.

The French champions had faced 16 shots in the opening 45 minutes, and just 23 seconds after the restart, they needed Navas to again help them out to deny Benzema a second (46′). Neymar Jr came off the bench at the break as the visitors sought to get on the front foot, but Kroos (59′) and Isco (61′) kept Navas busy. There was nothing he could do, however, when Benzema headed powerfully past him to double the hosts’ lead (0-2, 79′). The hosts were sitting pretty, but things were about to get very uncomfortable for them indeed. Mbappé, on his 100th appearance for the club, took advantage of a mix-up between Raphaël Varane and Courtois to pull one back (2-1, 81′)! Barely two minutes later, Pablo Sarabia – who’d only been on the pitch for eight minutes – slammed home the equaliser (2-2, 83′)! Mbappé found the side-netting (90+2′) and Gareth Bale struck a post with a free-kick (90+4′) as Paris remained unbeaten in Group A and clinched top spot in the section.

A Parisian in the match: Keylor Navas
Yes, he conceded a goal for the first time in the competition this season, but the Costa Rica international was imperious. He made ten saves to frustrate his former club, much to the delight of his current one.

The word: first
This first draw of the season in all competitions brought with it the point the Parisians needed to secure top spot in the group. It’s the fifth time since 2003/04 and the third season in a row the Rouge-et-Bleu have finished first in their section.

Coming up
It’s a busy and glamourous week: after Madrid, the French champions are off to Monaco to bring the curtain down on Ligue 1’s Week 15. The league leaders will be looking for a sixth win in eight trips to the principality against a Monaco side that has won its last four home games in L1. The Rouge-et-Bleu have, however, won the duo’s last four meetings, and average four goals scored per game.