Portuguese youngster Moreira earns praise, Gonçalo Ramos criticised, as Fonseca’s Lyon stun PSG [video] | OneFootball

Moreira and Endrick were sensational in Paris [Getty Images]

Paris Saint-Germain 1-2 Lyon

Paulo Fonseca’s Olympique Lyonnais gave their hopes of a top three place in France a huge boost on Sunday with victory over champions Paris Saint-Germain in the capital.

The match had high Portuguese involvement, with Fonseca’s young prodigy and ex-Sporting forward Afonso Moreira on the scoresheet and shining for the victors, while PSG gave a runout to the normally dependable Seleção striker Gonçalo Ramos, who missed a penalty and struggled to have an influence at the Parc des Princes.

Moreira, Endrick too hot to handle

The damage was done by Lyon inside the first 20 minutes, with Fonseca’s men making a strong start from the first whistle against a host side which had been rotated by Luis Enrique. Youthful front pairing Moreira and teenager Endrick – on loan from Real Madrid – were deployed as a split strike force in Fonseca’s 4-3-1-2 system and wreaked havoc on the PSG defence for much of the match.

First Moreira found Endrick to allow the Brazilian space to crash a left-footed finish in off the post to put Lyon ahead in the 6th minute, after which the duo continued to carve open their opponents with their dynamism. Both Moreira and Endrick showed remarkable pace, touch and awareness to make the normally composed European champions look ragged in defence.

The second came in the 18th minute and was a counter-attack goal of wonderful devastation. Lyon cleared a corner to the midway point of their half, where Endrick held off the attention of his marker to send a long ball down the centre of the pitch for Moreira to chase, which the 21-year-old did with immaculate control and composure before finishing into the bottom corner.

PSG, who were without Nuno Mendes and rested João Neves to the bench, had Vitinha in midfield and Ramos leading the line. Naturally the champions fought back and dominated possession for the remainder of the match, but failed to make a breakthrough until substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia produced a stunning consolation in stoppage time.

Crucial to that failure to recover was a missed penalty by Gonçalo Ramos, which came in the 33rd minute after Lucas Hernandez was tripped by Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Ramos stepped up but struck his penalty only slightly left of centre, giving Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif an east save to make.

“This keeps us in the running” for the CL places - Fonseca

Fonseca was praised for his tactical gameplan in the French press after the match, particularly the way his disciplined midfield three in the 4-3-1-2 system denied the PSG attackers space to cut inside, as well as the deployment of Endrick and Moreira on such a big stage to provide the threat in attack.

“Before the match, we talked about the defensive work we needed to do this week,” Fonseca told journalists, after maintaining 3rd spot and the final Champions League place. “We prepared for what the team did tonight. We know how to play against Paris, who are the best team in the world, because we know we won't have the ball, so we have to be organized and know what to do when we do. We needed to get forward very quickly with Afonso (Moreira) and Endrick, which we managed to do.

“I think we played a very interesting match. Tactically and defensively, it was magnificent, almost perfect. The players played with enjoyment and discipline, and that’s why we won today.

“We worked hard as a team and saw some excellent counter-attacking moves. In my opinion, we faced the best team in Europe. The team deserved this victory; they showed a lot of courage.

“This match a turning point? We'll only know at the end. We have four finals and we'll see at the end. We have a tough schedule, but we know we'll be there. This victory keeps us in the running. This season has been very difficult, even today we had a lot of key players missing. It's fantastic for us to be third after everything we've been through.”

Contrasting reviews for Moreira, Ramos

Moreira was awarded the Man of the Match award, likely a fraction ahead of teammate Endrick, perhaps partly due to the Portuguese completing the full ninety minutes despite his many sprints. French publication L’Equipe, famous for their strict ratings, issued Moreira 8 out of 10 for his performance.

On the other end of the scale was Ramos, who was marked 2 out of 10 by the paper. Indeed, one headline from L’Equipe read: “Ramos floundered, Moreira shone” while noting that “PSG’s usual substitutes failed to impress, particularly Ramos.” Vitinha was replaced (39’) as a precaution ahead of next weeks’ CL semi-final clash with Bayern Munich following a minor knock sustained ahead of Moreira’s goal, and therefore was not rated.

"We knew what we had to do to win this match,” Moreira said after the game. “We had to be efficient and put in the effort to win back possession. Well done to the staff and all the players for this victory.

“We have a great mentality, we're like a family. The coach didn't tell me anything special, just to be myself and help the team. That's what I'm trying to do.”

The fight for 3rd place in Ligue 1 and the final spot in the Champions League is remarkably tight. Lyon are locked on 54 points along with 4th place Lille, with Rennes (53 points), Marseille (52 points) and Monaco (50 points) still in contention with four matches remaining. PSG’s one-point lead over Lens at the top with a game in-hand means Luis Enrique’s side remain firm favourites to retain their crown.