It doesn’t take much more to awaken the idea of a curse, to cast doubt in credulous minds as to the origin of the anathemas systematically thrown at the French goalkeepers of PSG for a quarter of a century. His words now being largely sacred, his choices almost sanctified as they have become accustomed in the medium term to rhyming with success, Luis Enrique’s decision, Wednesday evening, to start Matvey Safonov against Newcastle during the last group match of the Champions League, has added another layer. For the fourth time in the last ten meetings, the second for clearly sporting reasons, Lucas Chevalier was invited to continue his Parisian journey on the substitutes’ bench.
An unexpected measure, resembling a sentence, which had the effect of a thunderclap in a Parc des Princes which nevertheless knew its number one goalkeeper was weakened by checkered performances and a convincing interim from his Russian understudy.
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