PSG ‍Secures Narrow Victory Against Girona in UEFA‍ Champions ⁢League

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earned a hard-fought 1-0 win against ⁣Girona‌ (Spain) in the first‍ match of‍ the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League (UCL) League stage.

The French Ligue 1 champions from last season ⁣and current leaders, PSG, started their UCL⁢ campaign with ‌three points‍ from the​ home game held at the Parc des Princes ‍in Paris, France.

UCL League Stage Format

This season’s UCL​ features a ⁣new format, where 36 teams compete in the ‘League Phase’ instead of the traditional group stage. Each team will⁢ play a total of 8 games ‍(4 home games, 4 away⁤ games) according to the draw.

The top 1st to 8th ranked ⁣teams will directly advance to the Round of 16, while the 9th to 24th ⁢ranked​ teams will advance to the playoffs to determine the teams that will join‌ them in the Round⁢ of‌ 16.

Lee Kang-in’s ⁣Contribution

Lee Kang-in,‍ who started on the bench, came on for ⁣Vitinia in the‍ 18th minute of the second half ‍when the ⁣score was ⁤tied 0-0. He played⁣ nearly 20 minutes, contributing to PSG’s ⁢win.

Although Lee Kang-in, who has two goals in‌ the Ligue 1 regular season this season, did ‍not score an‍ attacking point in this match, he had a significant impact‌ on⁢ the game.

PSG’s Struggle⁣ and Eventual Breakthrough

Against Girona, who finished 3rd in⁣ the Spanish Primera Liga (La Liga) last season and were ‍making their European competition debut, PSG struggled in a disappointing first half without a single‍ effective shot.

However, they strengthened their attack in the second half, with goalkeeper Paolo Gazzaniga making crucial saves ⁤to⁤ deny Ousmane Dembele’s‌ shots.

In the 27th⁣ minute ‌of the second half, ⁤Lee Kang-in’s sharp corner ⁤kick following Kolo Muani’s header missed slightly to the right of the‌ goal. Later, Kolo Muani’s right-footed shot missed to the right ⁤side ⁣of ​the goal area.

Ashraf Hakimi had a golden ⁣opportunity inside the⁤ goal area, but ​his right-footed shot ‍was caught by Gazzaniga.

PSG⁤ scored the only goal of‍ the game in the 45th ​minute‌ of the second half, with Nuno ⁢Mendes’ cross breaking in from the left flank and‍ going between⁢ Gazzaniga’s legs ⁤as he tried to catch the⁣ ball, resulting ​in an own goal.

Player Ratings

Lee Kang-in received a rating of​ 6.8⁢ among PSG ‌substitutes ​after the ‍game, according to WhoScored.com, an expert⁢ in football statistics. Hakimi scored 7.7 points, the highest score ‌of either team.

Footmob gave Lee Kang-in a 7.1 point rating, with Hakimi again ‌being the ⁣highest scoring player in the game with 8.2 points.