Wednesday evening is to be forgotten for the French clubs involved in the Women’s Champions League. While the defending champions Lyonnaises lost (1-0) against the Chelsea Blues, the players from the capital suffered the same fate. In a sparse but quite noisy Parc des Princes, PSG lost to Wolfsburg (1-0) in the quarter-final first leg.
The situation is getting more complicated for the Parisiennes, who will necessarily have to win and score in Germany next Thursday to reach the last four, which they have reached for the last three years (2020, 2021, 2022).
Gérard Prêcheur criticizes arbitration
Reduced to ten per hour of play, due to a hand in the box from French defender Elisa De Almeida, warned for the second time in the match, the Parisiennes conceded a penalty, whistled after viewing the VAR. In front of the 18,000 Parisian supporters including ultra noisy and against the course of the game, Dominique Janssen converted the penalty with a low shot which caught Sarah Bouhaddi (62nd) on the wrong foot.
Just before, a penalty finally canceled by the VAR had been whistled in favor of PSG: the left side Sakina Karchaoui, launched at full speed, had been hooked by the knee of Marina Hegering. “Without the VAR, we win the match (…) I put a game plan that we respected, and finally I entrust my professionalism and the professionalism of the players to amateurs, that annoys me”, scolded Gérard Prêcheur, the Parisian coach, castigating the refereeing.
A complicated context Kadidiatou Diani
Despite the numerical inferiority, the partners of captain Grace Geyoro, qualified for the final of the Coupe de France and current second in the Championship, were the first in the duels, kept their foot on the ball and muzzled the Germans. In vain. They lacked precision in their last gestures to really worry the German goalkeeper, Merle Frohms.
Very available, chaining the right calls but clumsy in front of goal, the Parisian striker Kadidiatou Diani did not seem marked by a complicated personal and extra-sporting context. His companion and sports adviser, César Mavacala, was indicted the same day for extortion in an organized gang, suspected of having pressured PSG to obtain the signing or extension of its players.
Paris’ last defeat dates back to December 22, 2022 in the Champions League against Chelsea (0-3). Since then, the club has remained on nine games without defeat.
