Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Sporting in their penultimate Champions League group stage game last night.
Despite PSG’s attacking impetus and domination in possession, goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier’s errors proved costly.
Warren Zaire Emery almost put Luis Enrique’s side in front with a composed header into the net, but VAR chalked it off due to a foul in the build-up.
The Portuguese side always looked dangerous whenever they caught PSG on the break, and they had a great chance at the start of the second half.
However, Luis Suarez couldn’t capitalise on Francisco Trincao’s cross.
Suarez made amends by breaking the deadlock after blasting home from close range. Chevalier played an indirect part after unnecessarily conceding a corner kick prior to the strike.
The visitors restored the parity quickly after goalkeeper Rui Silva stood no chance against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s long-range effort.
However, Sporting snatched away a victory in the eleventh hour after Suarez headed home the rebound from Chevalier’s save.
The French keeper should have dealt better with Trincao’s powerful strike, but he parried it straight into Suarez.
Chevalier faces scrutiny after yet another uninspiring display in what is turning out to be a turbulent 2025/26 season.
He was regarded as one of the most coveted keepers at Lille, but has failed to cope with expectations since moving to Parc des Princes last summer to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Chevalier’s underwhelming displays against Marseille and Strasbourg fuelled fan backlash against the former Lille star.
Matvey Safonov appeared to have seized the first-choice goalkeeping spot with his eye-catching heroics in the Intercontinental Cup victory against Flamengo.
However, a fractured hand suffered during the penalty shoot-out has allowed Chevalier back into the fold.
The defeat against Sporting has dented PSG’s chances of securing automatic qualification to the round of 16.
They need to win their final group game against Newcastle United next week and also rely on other results to avoid entering the play-offs.
