Sacha Kljestan (left) of RSC Anderlecht vies for the ball with Lucas of Paris Saint Germain during the UEFA Champions League Group C soccer match at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris yesterday.
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain will have to wait to seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League after being held to a 1-1 draw by Anderlecht yesterday.
On a frustrating night at the Parc des Princes, PSG had most of the possession and no shortage of chances, but they fell behind to a Demy De Zeeuw goal midway through the second half and needed a Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike moments later to earn them a point against a visiting side that had Sacha Kljestan sent off late on.
The nature of this encounter in the French capital contrasted starkly with the last meeting of the clubs in Brussels two weeks ago, when PSG recorded their biggest ever away victory in continental competition, trouncing Anderlecht 5-0.
Laurent Blanc’s men might have clinched top spot in the section with two games to spare in the event of a win, but instead they will need a draw at home to Olympiakos later this month to be sure of their last-16 berth.
Blanc was without Edinson Cavani due to a thigh injury, but he was able to welcome back Ibrahimovic after a nagging knee problem forced him to miss last Friday’s 4-0 demolition of Lorient in Ligue 1, as skipper Thiago Silva started on the bench on his return to the squad after over a month on the sidelines.
The Belgian champions had hinted that they would settle for any kind of improvement on the thrashing they suffered in the last meeting of the clubs, and they predictably adopted a cautious approach in an attempt to frustrate their hosts this time.
It worked in the first half, with PSG unable to break down a defence comprising six men when the home side had possession, and early efforts from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Ibrahimovic that both missed the target were as close as they came in the opening period.
In Group B, Juventus drew with Real Madrid 2-2. While Bayern Munich beat Viktoria Plzen 1-0. Agencies
