PSG go top of Ligue 1 with slender win over Auxerre
Bradley Barcola netted the only goal as Paris Saint-Germain beat Auxerre (0-1) to go top of Ligue 1 McDonald's.
Donovan Léon frustrates PSG
Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Léon has famously frustrated PSG in the past and the script was rewritten at the Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps. The AJA shotstopperfrustrated Barcola on two occasions early on (2', 3'). But it wasn't just the France international that the goalkeeper thwarted. Goncalo Ramos then forced the Auxerre goalkeeper into a save, whilst he would also face a shot from Ibrahim Mbaye, returning from his exploits at the AFCON with Senegal (37') before the break.
Lucas Chevalier, by contrast, was not properly tested at the other end. Kevin Danois (23') and Lassine Sinayoko (56') both had shots on goal, but neither hit the target.
The AFCON champion Ibrahim Mbaye is back 🇸🇳✨ pic.twitter.com/X3r2cGrHVu
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 23, 2026
However, it was Luis Enrique's coaching that would prove game-changing. The task is made somewhat easier when you have a Ballon d'Or and Golden Boy winner on the bench in the form of Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué. It was the former, who came on alongside Doué, who played Barcola through (63'), whilst the former Lyon forward provided Doué with a chance of his own, but the former Rennes man could not finish.
But Léon would eventually be beaten by the reigning European champions. And it was Barcola, despite failing to finish his previous chances, who was rewarded for his persistence (80').
'It was time to put the pressure on Lens' - Luis Enrique
Thereafter, PSG consolidated their slender advantage to take all three points, provisionally leapfrog Lens into first place, and bounce back from their disappointing Champions League defeat to Sporting CP in midweek. If Pierre Sage's side are to retake top spot in matchday 19, they will have to beat Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille at the Vélodrome on Saturday night.
"It was time to put the pressure on Lens," reacted Luis Enrique in his post-match interview with Ligue 1 Plus. "I think that the most important thing was to win the three points, and I am happy that we did that."
The Stat: 6
2026 has marked a return to form for Dembélé. The Frenchman, a Ballon d'Or winner back in September, has seen his season thus far disrupted by injuries. However, fully fit, he has begun this calendar year in a similar way to the way in which he started 2025. In his last seven matches, he has registered either a goal or an assist in six of them. In that time, the Rennes academy product has five goals and three assists.
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