Strasbourg kept alive their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League with a 2-1 win Saturday against a Paris Saint-Germain side showing 10 changes from their midweek victory away to Arsenal.
A Lucas Hernandez own goal put Strasbourg ahead on 20 minutes and Felix Lemarechal doubled the home side’s lead in first-half stoppage time in Alsace, although Bradley Barcola pulled one back for PSG just after the break.
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Liam Rosenior’s in-form Strasbourg are now unbeaten in 12 games going back to early February and this victory leaves them fifth in the table, just one point behind second-placed Monaco, who won 3-1 at Saint-Etienne.
“Despite all the changes, PSG still put out a strong team,” said Englishman Rosenior.
“We had to fight for every ball in the heat. The players ran for each other, celebrated winning tackles and headers.
“We have shown that courage all season. We are the second-best team in 2025 behind PSG.
“The progress my players have made is superb. You have to suffer to the maximum to beat a team like Paris, but it was worth it.”
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PSG have already wrapped up a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title and saw their unbeaten record domestically this season come to an end last weekend.
Coach Luis Enrique therefore rested all of those who started the 1-0 win away to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, with the exception of Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves.
– Monaco go second –
Ousmane Dembele, who scored the winning goal against the Gunners, was missing from the squad altogether after coming off hurt in the second half of that game.
It remains to be seen if Dembele, PSG’s leading scorer with 33 goals this season in all competitions, will be fit for the return leg in Paris on Wednesday.
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Luis Enrique gave a top-flight debut at the Stade de la Meinau to 17-year-old centre-back Axel Tape and just a third start in Ligue 1 to winger Ibrahim Mbaye, also just 17.
“We finished with five academy players on the pitch, all very young, but I am satisfied with what I saw,” said Luis Enrique.
“Now we have to be ready and immerse ourselves in what we have coming up this week.”
Strasbourg took advantage of their visitors’ inexperience as they went ahead on 20 minutes when Mamadou Sarr helped on a corner and the ball went into the net off the unfortunate Hernandez.
Goncalo Ramos had a couple of chances for the visitors in the first half but Strasbourg scored again just before the interval.
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Habib Diarra advanced down the right before teeing up Lemarechal to score with a fine first-time strike from the edge of the area, high into the far corner.
Hernandez and Lee Kang-in, who had been struggling with a knock, were both replaced at the restart as another teenager, 18-year-old defender Noham Kamara, came on for his Ligue 1 bow.
PSG got a goal back less than a minute into the second half as Barcola ran over half the length of the field before stabbing in his 19th goal of the campaign in all competitions.
However, Strasbourg held on for the rest of the game, including through eight minutes of stoppage time.
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They are now just a point behind Monaco, who went second thanks to their win at relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne with Maghnes Akliouche, Moatasem Al-Musrati and Folarin Balogun all on target.
Only goal difference has Monaco ahead of third-placed Marseille, who play on Sunday away to Lille — the fight for Champions League places is so tight that Lille are sixth but can go second if they win that game.
Nice beat Reims 1-0 on Friday and are ahead of Strasbourg on goal difference, but seventh-placed Lyon can move level with those sides by beating Lens on Sunday.
The top three in Ligue 1 qualify directly for the Champions League, with fourth entering in the preliminary rounds.
Meanwhile, Norwegian international Aron Donnum’s late goal gave Toulouse a 2-1 win over Rennes which confirmed their top-flight survival.
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