Joseph Okumu's Reims hold PSG at bay as Parisians pay price for benching Mbappe

Joseph Okumu defends against Kylian Mbappe during the first leg.

STARS ABROAD Joseph Okumu's Reims hold PSG at bay as Parisians pay price for benching Mbappe

Mark Kinyanjui 21:01 - 10.03.2024

Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu's Reims side had enough about them to frustrate PSG to a draw in Ligue 1

French Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 2-2 home draw by Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu’s Reims on Sunday.

PSG boss Luis Enrique made the brave decision to bench Kylian Mbappe, who was relegated to having to only play the last 20 minutes of the match.

The record league winners extended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 20 games but it was a third straight draw for the defending champions after Reims impressed despite an own goal.

Okumu is nursing a thigh injury which has ruled him out of the club’s last three games, and he is also likely to miss Kenya’s upcoming international assignments later this month.

The match witnessed an early surprise as Reims took the lead in the seventh minute, leaving fans at Parc des Princes in disbelief.

This happened following a mistake by PSG's Achraf Hakimi. Hakimi hesitated with the ball in the penalty area, allowing Oumar Diakite to steal it close to the goal line and set up Marshall Munetsi for an easy finish.

PSG quickly rallied to energize their supporters, equalizing through an unfortunate own goal. The ball, sent from a corner kick, deflected off defender Yunis Abdelhamid and into the net.

Shortly after, PSG went ahead thanks to Goncalo Ramos. A pass by Lee Kang-in into the penalty area wasn't properly cleared by Reims' defense, and Ramos was perfectly placed to capitalize, driving the ball into the net to make it 2-1.

Nonetheless, Reims pulled level again at 2-2, with Diakite exploiting PSG's advanced defensive line. He stayed onside to receive Emmanuel Agbadou's excellent through ball, then calmly finished past Keylor Navas.

In an attempt to clinch the win, PSG's manager Enrique introduced Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Demele, the latter leading the league in assists with seven, in the 73rd minute.

Mbappe, fresh from scoring twice in a Champions League match against Real Sociedad and with 21 league goals to his name this season, tried to make an impact with several attempts, including a spectacular bicycle kick, but to no avail.

Despite these efforts the score remained unchanged allowing Reims to walk away with a hard-earned point.

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