JuicyTalk
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came off the bench to score as Paris Saint-Germain survived a scare from Le Mans to win 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday evening.
The weakened hosts went ahead through Lucas Beraldo’s penalty in the first half before Louis Mafouta equalised for Le Mans early in the second half.
Kvaratskhelia resored their advantage only two minutes after his introduction before Maghnes Akliouche lashed home to make it 3-1.
PSG were made to work early on against a lively Le Mans side, who made a positive start at the Parc des Princes and pressed aggressively.
The visitors registered the first shot of the match, with Jean Vercruysse firing off target from distance in the seventh minute.
But it was PSG who would find the opener in the 21st minute through a penalty after Achraf Hakimi was brought down in the box. Beraldo stepped up and slotted home the spotkick to put them ahead.
The visitors drew level just 10 minutes into the match though, with Mafouta netting his fourth goal of the season to stun the Parc des Princes. The assistant referee initially flagged for offside, but the replay showed Mafouta had timed his run correctly and the goal stood.
The goal led Luis Enrique to introduce Kvaratskhelia and it took the Georgia winger only two minutes to level the game, tapping home from close range after a set piece.
Only seven minutes later, the hosts had a two-goal advantage as Akliouche drove forward from the half-way line before firing in with a fine finish at the near post.
Dame Gueye came agonisingly close to pulling one back for Le Mans in the 71st minute, striking the post as the visitors looked to reduce the arrears once again.
The Parisiens were able to see out the win and climb up to fifth in the table. The defending European champions visit Manchester City in a mouth-watering Champions League clash on Wednesday up next.
