- Adrien Rabiot - 13'
- Ronny Rodelin - 90'+1'
Caen ensure top-flight status with dramatic late draw at PSG
Caen secured Ligue 1 survival in the most dramatic fashion thanks to Ronny Rodelin's injury-time equaliser away to Paris St Germain.
Trailing to Adrien Rabiot's first-half strike and having seen a Rodelin penalty saved and Julien Feret's 87th-minute goal disallowed, Caen were heading for the relegation playoff as Lorient's draw with Bordeaux lifted Les Merlus ahead on goal difference.
But there was still a sting in the tail as Rodelin timed his run to meet Jonathan Delaplace's cross with a side-foot finish to spark wild celebrations from the visitors.
Edinson Cavani had scored four before half-time as PSG won the season's previous meeting 6-0, but this time a solitary Rabiot strike was all that separated the teams at the break.
Moments after PSG keeper Kevin Trapp superbly denied Delaplace, the hosts took the lead in the 13th minute. Cavani cut the ball back from the right to the edge of the box where midfielder Rabiot arrived to sweep the ball past keeper Remy Vercoutre with his weaker right foot.
Vercoutre denied Cavani and Giovanni Lo Celso while Serge Aurier failed to direct Angel Di Maria's cross on target just before half-time, with Trapp saving from Yann Karamoh at the other end.
Syam Ben Youssef cleared Cavani's header off the line and Presnel Kimpembe also went close to a second, but the young defender then gave away a penalty -- only for Trapp to deny Rodelin.
When Feret was then denied by what seemed a harsh offside flag against Jordan Tell, Caen's hopes appeared to be over -- but Rodelin had other ideas and, after a sharp intake of breath as Javier Pastore headed just over at the other end, the visitors could look ahead to another season in Ligue 1.
Game Information
French Ligue 1 Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paris Saint-Germain | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | +21 | 26 |
Marseille | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | +11 | 20 |
AS Monaco | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | +8 | 20 |
Lille | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | +7 | 18 |
Nice | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | +10 | 16 |
Lyon | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | +2 | 15 |
Lens | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | +2 | 14 |
Stade de Reims | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | +1 | 14 |
Strasbourg | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
AJ Auxerre | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | -1 | 13 |
Brest | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 13 |
Toulouse | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
Stade Rennais | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 11 |
Nantes | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -2 | 10 |
Angers | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -5 | 10 |
Saint-Etienne | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -14 | 10 |
Le Havre AC | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | -12 | 9 |
Montpellier | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -22 | 4 |