Paris St-Germain 1-0 Girona: Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga gifts French side victory

Ligue 1 giants edge past Catalan opposition in friendly

Presnel Kimpembe scores winning goal after Gazzaniga error

Paris St-Germain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Girona in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, with goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga gifting the French side the winning goal.

The match was played in front of a crowd of 15,000 at the Parc des Princes, and it was the Ligue 1 champions who took the lead in the 22nd minute.

Gazzaniga, the former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, spilled a cross from Achraf Hakimi into the path of Presnel Kimpembe, who gratefully tapped home from close range.

PSG had several other chances to extend their lead in the first half, but they were denied by a combination of good goalkeeping from Gazzaniga and poor finishing.

The second half was a more even affair, with both sides having chances to score.

However, it was PSG who came closest to adding to their lead, with Kylian Mbappe hitting the post in the 70th minute.

In the end, PSG held on for a narrow victory, which will give them confidence ahead of the new season.

What they said

"It was a good performance from us," said PSG coach Christophe Galtier.

"We created a lot of chances and we defended well. We are still not at our best, but we are getting there."

"We are happy with the win," said PSG captain Marquinhos.

"It was a tough game, but we showed our quality in the end."

"It was a disappointing result," said Girona coach Michel.

"We played well in the second half, but we made a mistake in the first half that cost us the game."

Conclusion

PSG's victory over Girona was a morale-boosting win for the French champions, who are preparing for the new season.

The match also gave Gazzaniga a chance to stake his claim for a place in the PSG team, and he will be hoping to build on his performance in the coming weeks.