Leverkusen/PSG: What was Zabarnyi thinking with that red card? | OneFootball

With the aim of providing our readers with richer content, we came up with the idea of launching a section featuring an analysis of key actions in a match, whether it’s goals scored or conceded, beautiful plays, near-misses that almost proved costly, and more. The goal is to determine the share of collective or individual success or error in each action. Here is the latest edition. This time, it’s a sequence from the 2-7 victory against Bayer Leverkusen (video highlights Bayer Leverkusen/PSG) during the 3rd matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League. Here, it’s about the red card and penalty conceded during the equalizer.

The situation when Bayer Leverkusen makes the “decisive header.”

Legend: – Orange circle: the players being discussed – Everything in black: possible options – Everything in red: what was done after the image. Line = pass – Arrow = movement – White circle = ball

At this moment, there is no danger. Willian Pacho (24-year-old defender) has just won an aerial duel after a goal kick and is now ahead of the defense, covered by Vitinha (25-year-old midfielder), Nuno Mendes (23-year-old left-back), and Ilya Zabarnyi (23-year-old defender). Edmond Tapsoba (26-year-old Leverkusen defender) picks up the ball in midfield and clears it in turn, with considerable power. Logically, the players closest to where the ball is headed move toward it.

The situation when the ball arrives in the Parisian penalty area.

Legend: – Orange circle: the players being discussed – Everything in black: possible options – Everything in red: what was done after the image. Line = pass – Arrow = movement – White circle = ball

The ball now arrives in the box and PSG doesn’t even seem to be in real danger, even if the situation isn’t ideal. Zabarnyi is ahead and Nuno Mendes could have closed down in front of Christian Kofane (19-year-old forward). Except he goes behind, perhaps because he has great confidence in his teammate. Maybe also a bit of “relaxation,” with the feeling that it’s a bit “easy.”

It would have been wiser to play it out to the end and get in front of Kofane to hinder his progress. Instead, the Portuguese player pushes him from behind. That’s dangerous, as it could be a foul. Also, it seems to give Kofane a little “boost” to get past Zabarnyi.

Especially since the latter seems more focused on managing his opponent’s run. He doesn’t rush toward the ball. The defender mainly seems to expect Lucas Chevalier (23-year-old goalkeeper) to intervene.

This is a key point in this action: the ball comes from quite far and high, not at extreme speed, and with good visibility to intervene. Chevalier could have simply been there, at least at the penalty spot, to easily collect the ball. Even at this point, he still seems to have time to come out. Looking at the whole action, it’s even clearer. But he is backing up.

One might think of a lack of confidence, but also of communication and automatisms (maybe concentration), since the defenders are not doing their utmost to play the ball. Zabarnyi is at fault in the end, but he is far from the only one responsible.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.