Donnarumma’s face the enduring image of PSG’s Monaco slapdown

Deciding factors don’t typically happen in December, but this one felt significant. Paris Saint-Germain’s ties with Nantes and Auxerre had created opportunities for their rivals, but on a spooky night in Monaco, those chances were firmly closed.

Originally planned for early January, this match was moved up on the schedule because of the inclusion of the Trophée des Champions. This tournament, similar to England's Community Shield, features the Ligue 1 champions competing against the winners of the Coupe de France, or the league's runner-up if the same team wins both titles, which is what Paris Saint-Germain accomplished last season. The match was supposed to happen in China before the season kicked off, but the Chinese organizers decided to withdraw from hosting it at the last moment.

Similar to last year, the event will be held in January this time. Last year's match, which PSG claimed victory in, took place at the Parc des Princes. This year's event, now called the Visit Qatar Trophée des Champions, will be hosted in Doha. In a show of discontent against the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), which they believe is favoring PSG, Monaco's loyal fans chose to boycott the beginning of the crucial match. This created an unsettling atmosphere that didn't match the significance of the clash, which could serve as a title decider even before the season reaches its midpoint.

"Maghnes Akliouche mentioned before the match that the question posed in the title would be tough to answer if they ended up losing. PSG aimed to extend their lead to 10 points in the standings with a victory at the Stade Louis II, a venue where they hadn't secured a win in almost five years."

Paris gained some breathing space at the top of the standings due to Monaco's recent decline in performance. The team from the Principality has only managed to secure two victories in their last six matches. Injuries to important players, especially captain Denis Zakaria, along with Folarin Balogun, who will be sidelined for four months following shoulder surgery on Tuesday, have contributed to this slump.

The absence of Balogun is particularly detrimental to the team. Breel Embolo, who has scored only three goals this season, is significantly underachieving compared to his expected goals, which is 7.12. Meanwhile, 18-year-old George Ilenikhena, whose development has reportedly "stalled," according to manager Adi Hütter, hasn't been able to fill that gap either. Hütter mentioned that Ilenikhena has demonstrated his potential as a goal scorer and that he definitely has a bright future ahead of him. However, at Monaco, there's always the challenge of balancing the development of young talent while maintaining the high performance levels that are anticipated.

The decline in performance from their rivals, along with Marseille's struggles at home, where they've secured only two victories at the Vélodrome this season, has relieved some of the mounting pressure on PSG. A significant part of that pressure originated from PSG's lackluster showing in the Champions League, which remains the top priority for their owners, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). However, consecutive draws from PSG have opened the door for other teams to believe they might catch up, particularly since those draws occurred just before their games against Lyon and Monaco.

PSG quickly dominated Lyon in the opening 15 minutes on Sunday and then carried that momentum into their match against Monaco. Achraf Hakimi came close to scoring when he hit the post within the first five minutes, and shortly after, Bradley Barcola had a clear chance but was stopped by Philipp Köhn.

Next, there was a striking image from the game: Gianluigi Donnarumma with a battered and bleeding face, having to receive stitches after a clash with Wilfried Singo. The incident happened when Singo was given a chance to score; he attempted to lob the goalkeeper but missed, instead hitting Donnarumma directly in the face on his follow-through. Despite already having a yellow card, Singo was neither shown a second yellow nor a direct red card, as referee François Letexier considered the foul to be “careless” rather than “dangerous.”

Marquinhos expressed his thoughts after the game, stating, "If the VAR is in use, it’s important to inform the referee. Player safety must come first." Gonçalo Ramos shared his confusion as well, remarking, "We all noticed his reaction. It's hard to believe that wasn’t a red card. Donnarumma did not receive the protection he needed tonight." Following the match, Singo extended his apologies to the PSG goalkeeper, offering another apology on social media the next morning. Unfortunately, during this time, the Ivory Coast player faced a wave of racial abuse online, which the Principality club has since denounced.

Right after that event, PSG managed to take the advantage. With Christian Mawissa sidelined due to injury, the more defensively inclined Vanderson moved from his typical position at right-back to left-back. Nevertheless, the Brazilian struggled to contain Hakimi as he raced down the flank, drove inside, and set up Désiré Doué, who scored his first Ligue 1 goal for PSG with a clean finish.

Köhn, who stepped in for the injured Radoslaw Majecki, had to make several crucial saves before halftime to keep Monaco competitive. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hütter’s team capitalized on their luck. Akliouche charged into the penalty area, and his deflected pass hit Marquinhos’s arm. Another young talent from the Monaco academy, Eliesse Ben Seghir, confidently converted the penalty kick.

Seven minutes after the hour, Monaco scored first. It was Akliouche once again, catching the attention of Didier Deschamps, who assisted beautifully, setting up Embolo to finish neatly at the near post.

However, the advantage was short-lived as Ousmane Dembélé quickly took advantage of a save by Köhn. Substitute Ramos then scored with a powerful header from Lee Kang-in’s corner kick, giving PSG a late lead. Dembélé later sealed the victory with a calm chip shot. As a result, PSG continues to hold an unbeaten record in Ligue 1 and has now gone 32 away league matches without a loss.

By deciding to be more aggressive, Monaco effectively played into PSG's strengths. The reason the reigning champions have managed to defeat all the top teams while struggling to secure victories against teams that defend deep, like Nantes, Auxerre, and Reims, is clear. Hütter mentioned, “For us to win, everything has to go perfectly, both offensively and defensively.” His decision to implement a high pressing strategy against PSG, a core tactic for this Monaco team, allowed PSG's talented players the space they needed to excel.

"I'm not sure if the [title race] is finished. I'm focused on my own team. We're currently 10 points behind, but we have our own goals," Hütter stated. Luis Enrique was similarly noncommittal: "The Ligue 1 [title race] is still quite competitive. Just five days ago, we had only a five-point advantage," he noted.

Donnarumma's injured face will always be linked to this match, but even at this point, it felt like the moment that determined the outcome of the Ligue 1 title race heading into May.