If you were looking to catch Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action after his mid-week spectacle, you were out of luck. ‘Ibra’ was suspended on for Paris Saint-Germain’s Saturday match against Stade Rennes.
Yes, I was also surprised to learn this wasn’t legal:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcRGelH3-Xc]
I guess you can only get away with that in a World Cup final.
Ibra got a two-match ban, the first game illustrating just how important he’s become to his new team. PSG struggled to a 1-1 draw with 14th place Montpellier, and result that looked worlds better after the Parisians’ performance on Saturday.
MORE: Ibra? Or … Michael Bradley?
Hosting surging Rennes, PSG was given an early gift. After the teams had traded early goals, goalkeeper Benoit Costil saw red for taking down Jeremy Menez (who later had to leave with a leg injury). Returning the favor, PSG set up a terrible wall on a 34th minute free kick, allowing Rennes’ Julian Féret to curve his shot around the wall and past Salvatore Sirigu.
Given the Parisians’ talents, the 2-1 halftime deficit seemed a minor inconvenience, particularly with Rennes determined to have the last laugh in the teams’ battle of stupid offenses. Early in the second, midfielder Jean Makoun’s ill-advised foul on Nene (going through the back of the PSG attacker) drew a second yellow card, leaving Rennes to play out the final 40 minutes with nine men. Surely, even an Ibrahimovic-less PSG – a team that had Ezequiel Lavezzi, Javier Pastore, Nene, Guillaume Hoarau and Kevin Gamiero on the field at match’s end – could find a way to get two goals against nine men.
They didn’t even get one, allowing a nine-man Rennes to take three points from the Parc de Princes, extended PSG’s winless streak to three. Now wins from any of Marseille, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Valenciennes or Bordeaux will cost PSG Ligue 1’s top spot. If the planets align, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will be in fifth come Monday morning.
All of which brings us back to Ibrahimovic. Ibra has 10 goals in as many league appearances since moving to France, but the rest of the team’s only scored nine goals despite play three games without him. With all the money PSG’s spent over the last two years, who would have thought they’d end up a one-man team?
MORE: You can win Ibra’s four-goal boots.
When Ibra’s out, however, PSG’s a zero man team, one incapable of besting a nine-man side at home. It makes you wonder what would become of PSG’s season is the 31-year-old Swede got hurt.
Fortunately for the Parisians, Ibrahimovic has been very durable. Since moving from the Dutch league to Italy in 2004, Ibrahimovic has averaged 31 league games per year, never appearing in fewer than 26.
