Can Goncalo Ramos replace Kylian Mbappe after all?! Portuguese star seals 10-man PSG win after replacing frustrated talisman in fiery Classique against Marseille

Posted Monday, April 01, 2024 by Goal.com

Paris Saint-Germain duo Goncalo Ramos and Vitinha fired their 10-man team to a 2-0 win against fierce rivals Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday.

TELL ME MORE
It was a fairly open game from beginning to end as Marseille looked up for the fight from the off, but PSG soon started to find some momentum.

The reigning French champions' evening became all the more difficult, however, when Lucas Beraldo was shown a red card late in the first half. The defender, already on a booking, shoved Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the field as they raced for the ball. The referee initially gave a free-kick without a second yellow, but he was called over to review the replay and deemed Beraldo had denied a goalscoring opportunity - despite the incident occurring just beyond the halfway line - and showed Beraldo a red card.

PSG covered for the loss of Beraldo well, however, and took the lead eight minutes into the second half when Vitinha received the ball and darted through Marseille's half. He sent it wide to Ousmane Dembele who immediately cut it back to Vitinha to lash in the opening goal. Marseille thought they had pulled level shortly afterwards when Jordan Veretout lashed into the net but it was disallowed for offside.

Surprisingly, Luis Enrique decided to take off Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele with 25 minutes left to play despite their quality - the ex-Barcelona winger, in particular, had put in a good shift. The coach was soon vindicated for that decision, though. After a long period of Marseille being denied time and time again by Gianluigi Donnarumma, it was Mbappe's replacement, Goncalo Ramos, who sealed the win with a fine finish to a devastating counter attack.

THE MVP
Playing with only 10 men for so long against fierce opponents, PSG needed a moment of magic to break the deadlock and pick up some momentum. Luckily for Luis Enrique, Vitinha provided that when he went on a blistering run through the middle and linked up expertly with Dembele before scoring the decisive goal. Then in the 79th minute he made a vital block to prevent a promising Marseille shot from getting through.

THE BIG LOSER
He may feel hard done by for being sent off, but Beraldo's foul on Aubameyang put his team under great pressure for the majority of the game. He was already on a yellow card and the ball had been knocked clear by the time he made contact, turning it into a risky move and giving Marseille hope of getting something throughout the match.

WHAT COMES NEXT?
PSG will look to keep their quadruple hopes alive in their next game as they come up against Rennes in the Coupe de France semi-finals on Wednesday. Three days later, they return to Ligue 1 action with a home game against Clermont Foot.