PSG 1-0 Troyes: Zabarnyi header wins it as Burkinabè keeper Konaté keeps Troyes within a goal

Four days after their 6-0 win at Villarreal in the Champions League, Paris took the ball from the first whistle and barely gave it back. Mayulu first saw his shot turned onto the bar by Konaté. Luis Enrique had fielded Warren Zaïre-Emery on the right of defence and Senny Mayulu in midfield, alongside Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz. Troyes, in a tight 4-5-1 in front of Hillel Konaté, sat and waited.

Zabarnyi had already put a header on target from a Zaïre-Emery cross. Shortly before the break, Konaté won a first duel against Ferran Torres; from the ensuing corner, Mayulu crossed and the Ukrainian defender placed his header beyond the keeper's reach. The Spaniard again had the second goal at his feet after the interval. Konaté saved all four of his shots on target.

The 1-0 almost proved not to be enough. Late on, Dermane Karim shot, Matvey Safonov spilled the ball and Lucas Maronnier pushed it in. Offside, by a few centimetres. The score did not change again.

893 passes to 327, just one goal in it

Paris had 73% of possession and played 893 passes, 835 of them completed, against 327 for Troyes. The Parisians attempted 15 shots, 7 of them on target, for 1.64 expected goals; Troyes had 8 shots, 3 on target, for 0.71. Six saves for Konaté against three for Safonov. Troyes were flagged offside six times, a sign of a simple plan: defend deep, then look in behind. Vitinha alone played 175 passes, more than half the Troyes total.

Mayulu crosses, Zabarnyi heads home

The only goal came from a quickly taken Paris corner: Mayulu crossed and Zabarnyi, poorly marked, placed his header. It is the defender's second league goal this season. For Mayulu, it is one more assist on a night when he also attempted three shots and made three interceptions.

Paris dominated without killing the game

SNA verdict: Paris were rarely troubled, but they left the game open until the closing minutes. The problem was finishing: Ferran Torres hit the target with all four of his attempts without scoring, and Konaté pulled off the clearest saves. At 1-0, a single mistake could be enough. Safonov made it, and the offside flag saved Paris.

Troyes did what they could at the Parc. The block stayed compact, Mouhamed Diop and Dermane Karim won nine of their eleven duels between them, and the Troyes side conceded only one goal from a set piece. They lacked precision in front of Safonov, despite Renaud Ripart's attempts.

Substitutions did not change the script

The Troyes bench moved first: Hugo Picard and Jérémy Le Douaron replaced Kandet Diawara and Renaud Ripart in the 62nd minute, Idrissa Soukouna came on for Merwan Ifnaoui in the 72nd, Yvann Titi for Ismaël Boura in the 73rd, and Timothée Nkada for Diop in the 85th. For Paris, João Neves and Quentin Ndjantou took over from Mika Godts and Ferran Torres in the 70th, then Dro Fernández and Lucas Beraldo replaced Mayulu and Fabián Ruiz in the 86th.

Six Africans at Troyes, Konaté in the spotlight

All six Africans in the match played for Troyes. Burkinabè Hillel Konaté was the best of them: six saves, including all four of Ferran Torres's shots on target, and a single goal conceded (SNA rating: 7.5). Togolese Dermane Karim played the whole game in midfield, with two tackles, two interceptions and the shot that led to Maronnier's disallowed goal (SNA rating: 7). Ivorian Michel Junior Diaz held his place at centre-back for 90 minutes (SNA rating: 7).

Senegalese Mouhamed Diop won five of his six duels in 85 minutes (SNA rating: 6.5). Comorian left-back Ismaël Boura put a shot on target before coming off in the 73rd minute (SNA rating: 6.5). Guinean Kandet Diawara was replaced in the 62nd minute after winning just one of four duels (SNA rating: 6). On the Paris side, no African played: Morocco international Achraf Hakimi was not in the matchday squad.

Paris go into the break on top, Troyes in the play-off place

It is PSG's eleventh win in a row in all competitions. With 23 points from ten games, they are three points ahead of Paris FC. Troyes, sixteenth with 8 points, occupy the play-off place. After the international break, ESTAC host Le Havre on Friday 20 November (20:45 Paris time), and PSG travel to Nice on Saturday 21 November (17:15).

SNA Man of the Match: Illia Zabarnyi

The only goal of the game, two shots, two on target, and no goals conceded. The Ukrainian defender had already tested Konaté with a header before finding a way through in the 39th minute. At the back, he played 98 passes. "It's great to score and help the team," he said after the game. He edges out Mayulu, the provider, because his goal made the difference. SNA rating: 8.5.