|
|
|
 |
 |
| PSG secure top spot |
 |
Paris St Germain secured top spot in Group J as Karpaty Lviv finally claimed their first point of this year's Europa League thanks to a 1-1 draw.
Peguy Luyindula put the visitors ahead after 39 minutes at a freezing cold Ukrayina Stadion but Artem Fedetskiy levelled matters on the stroke of half-time.
The hosts dominated after the break but could not find the goal which would have given them a first win of the group stage.
PSG coasted through as group winners, joined by Sevilla, while Lviv waved goodbye to European competition.
It was the Group J whipping boys, though, who looked most dangerous in the early stages.
Gregory Coupet held onto Danilo Avelar's long-range strike after 17 minutes and then, barely 30 seconds later, parried Denis Kozhanov's effort from inside the box.
At the other end, PSG finally threatened midway through the half when Siaka Tiene fired over from the edge of the area.
Mathieu Bodmer tried his luck from distance as PSG started to assert themselves but Andriy Tlumak held on.
It was end-to-end stuff as Serghiy Kuznetsov got on the end of Yury Martynyuk's corner but could not convert.
But PSG took the lead moments later when Luyindula pounced on a poor attempted clearance by the home defence to finish from six yards.
Coupet then parried an audacious effort from Martynyuk to keep the French side ahead.
But, when Jeremy Clement fouled Nemanja Tubic 30 yards from goal, Fedetskiy's free-kick somehow snuck underneath him to level things up going into the break.
Fedetskiy tried his luck again moments after the restart but this time only found the PSG wall.
Indeed, it was all Lviv as Coupet pulled off a double save, first parrying Ihor Khudobyak's 18-yard strike, then brilliantly blocking a follow-up effort from Grygoriy Baranets.
On the hour mark Sammy Traore fouled Kozhanov on the edge of the box but Avelar could not find the target with his free-kick.
For PSG, Mevlut Erding brought a save out of Tlumak from 20 yards before Lviv broke and Coupet held onto a strike from Yuri Habovda, then denied Kuznetsov in similar fashion.
Avelar and Fedetskiy fired wide as Lviv looked for their elusive first win, but it was not to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
