Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Brest - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - January 28, 2024 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
PARIS (Reuters) -Paris St Germain gave up a two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 at home to Brest on Sunday as the hosts missed the chance to extend their Ligue 1 lead.
Luis Enrique's side, who finished with 10 men after Bradley Barcola was sent off in stoppage time, remained top with 44 points, six clear of second-placed Nice. Brest are third with 35 points, one ahead of AS Monaco.
"It is easy to explain, we lost control of the game. It's football not basketball, it can happen," Luis Enrique told Prime Video.
"There are two very different halves of the game, a great first half, one of the best of the season," the Spaniard later told a news conference.
"Then a second half that was one of the worst of the season. Today we could have lost. We thought the game was done and it turned out not to be."
Marco Asensio opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a close-range volley from a brilliant chipped pass from Barcola to score his first league goal since September.
Randal Kolo Muani doubled the lead by tapping in a loose ball from close range after Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot blocked Asensio's effort just before halftime.
Brest looked more dangerous after the break and pulled one back in the 55th minute as Mahdi Camara's shot from inside the box bounced off PSG defender Danilo and past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Substitute Mathias Pereira Lage equalised with a classy back-heel in the 80th minute when Martin Satriano found him in the six-yard box after a fine solo run from the left.
"We were twice dealt a blow in the first half, but tonight we showed that we're a real team. We had something on the line and now we're third," Pereira Lage said after scoring his third goal of the season.
PSG's slim hopes of victory faded as they were reduced to 10 men after Barcola's second yellow card in stoppage time.
The capital side will take on Strasbourg on Friday before hosting Brest again in the French Cup last-16 next Wednesday.
"Today's match is a proof that the Cup game is going to be very difficult, I'm angry and I hope that what happened to us twice against them doesn't happen again," Luis Enrique added in reference to the reverse league fixture, where Brest also came back from a two-goal deficit but ended up losing 3-2.
"Brest are one of the best teams in the French league without a doubt."
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
