In a public statement, PSV confirmed that the French police had based their decision on previous incidents with the Dutch fanbase such as last season when the club travelled to face RC Lens in the Champions League group stages. PSV also noted that the police informed them that some internal security matters contributed to their final outcome. 

PSV stated, “PSV regrets not only the decision of the French authorities but also the timing of it. All preparations had already been made and a lot of costs had been incurred. Moreover, Peter Bosz’s selection counted on the support of the loyal supporters.”

This is not the first time that continental fans have not been able to attend their club’s fixtures in France. Last season, Sevilla supporters were banned from travelling to Lens. 

Chance at redemption for PSG

The two teams will play each other in a week’s time on the 22nd of October. PSG will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season which came in the previous round of the competition when they lost 2-0 to Arsenal. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Two seasons at PSG was all the 2022 World Cup winner could handle, and though he failed to take them to a UEFA Champions League title, he won two Ligue 1 crowns and the Trophée des Champions during his brief spell.

The Argentine captain is currently at Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer (MLS), who recently won the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the regular season.

Brecht Dejaegere (33) recently spoke to a Belgian news outlet, RTBF, about a recent conversation he had with Messi following a match between Miami and his former club Charlotte FC.

After the match ended, Dejaegere asked Messi about his time in Paris.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner summed it up in one word: ‘la mierda’, which in English translates to ‘s**t’.

Dejargere and Messi had faced each other before when the Belgian was playing his club football at Toulouse FC, and Messi was at PSG.

According to Dejaegere, who now features Kortrijk in the Belgian Pro League, Messi was fed up with the negativity around Les Parisiens during his two seasons at the club, where he was constantly whistled and booed.

Despite the club boasting an array of talented attacking players, including Messi’s former Barça teammate Neymar and current Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, PSG failed to go beyond the last 16 of the Champions League in their two seasons with Messi.

When Messi joined Inter Miami, he admitted that he did not want to leave the Catalonian club, calling the move to Paris an overnight decision.

 “It was difficult in Paris, but it is quite the opposite of what is going on with me here and now,” said Messi.

While he failed to deliver on the club’s ultimate goal to win the Champions League, Messi still put together two strong campaigns for Les Parisiens. He scored 21 goals and 20 assists in his final season at PSG before coming to MLS on a free transfer in July 2023.

Before coming to PSG, Messi won four Champions League titles at Barça and was the tournament’s top scorer on six occasions.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre

Ahead of their match with Montpellier HSC, a statue of the late Reims striker will be unveiled outside Stade Auguste-Delaune at 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Fontaine’s widow, Arlette, along with his children and grandchildren, will be on hand for the special ceremony.

The ceremony comes nearly six years after another Reims legend was honoured with a statue of his own, Fontaine’s teammate for three seasons at Les rouges et blancs, the late Raymond Kopa.

Sculptor Juan Carlos Carrillo made the Fontaine statue with the assistance of Mathias Galichet.

Reims supporters will get a chance to see the 300kg bronze statue for the first time on Sunday afternoon.

It is said to be an echo of the ‘Smiling Angel’, a famous statue at the Cathedral of Reims.

During Fontaine’s tenure at Reims, the club won three Ligue 1 titles in four seasons from 1957-58 to 1961-61 and finished as European Cup (now the Champions League) runners-up in 1959-60, with the Moroccan-born French striker finishing as the top scorer in that competition (10 goals).

On two occasions, he was also the top goalscorer in the French top flight and won the 1958 World Cup Golden Boot with 13 goals, a record that still stands today.

In 2013, Fontaine was awarded the Legion of Honour (Légion d’honneur), the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Fontaine passed away on March 1, 2023, in Toulouse at the age of 89.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre

Donnarumma was at fault for both of Arsenal’s goals in the midweek tie, something that was not out of the ordinary for the goalkeeper. Donnarumma has an unfortunate reputation for making costly errors in the Champions League. 

Paris Saint-Germain have seemingly not placed their full trust in the Italian international as they were swift to secure competition for the goalkeeper over the summer bringing in Matvei Safanov (25) as the backup for the role. 

Luis Enrique blames himself instead of Gianluigi Donnarumma

However, Luis Enrique has leapt to Donnarumma’s defence during his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s tie with OGC Nice. “We have been talking about this subject for years, well before I arrived here. I have no problems. There are no mistakes from Donnarumma in goal.”

The manager continued, “We should have, collectively, resolved the problem well before [Donnarumma was involved]. It’s not his fault, I repeat, the culprit is me. My career is full of these types of situations, I will overcome it with work and the ability to motivate my players.” 

“I am used to people being relentless with Donnarumma. I am confident in what I see in sessions, in matches. If you’re looking for someone to blame, it’s me, leave Donnarumma alone, blame me,” Luis Enrique concluded. 

The capital club travels south for the Sunday match as they hope to return to winning ways. A draw against Stade de Reims last weekend preceded the first loss of the season to Arsenal.

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Donnarumma had a notably poor performance on Tuesday evening when PSG travelled to the Emirates Stadium for their Champions League tie. The Italian goalkeeper did not cover himself in glory and was at fault for the two goals both of which came from Arsenal set-pieces. 

There have been long-standing questions over the suitability of Donnarumma to Luis Enrique’s style of game, as well as criticisms over his unfortunate reputation of making costly errors in the Champions League. However, until now, Donnarumma has remained the undisputed number one at the club. 

Luis Enrique’s preference for three goalkeepers

The arrival of Matvei Safanov (25) over the summer has provided some competition while Luis Enrique’s preference for a three-man rotation at the position meant that Arnau Tenas (23) remained at the club over the summer. 

Whether Luis Enrique will drop Donnarumma remains to be seen, but doubts are building in the capital, and L’Équipe reports that contract talks between the club and player over a contract extension beyond his 2026 end date have been slow to materialise.  

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The European debutants could not have asked for a better start to life in Europe’s top flight and became only the second French team after RC Strasbourg Alsace in the 1979/80 season to win their first two games in the Champions League (or European Cup) in their debut campaign. 

However, club co-president Gérard Le Saint (who owns Brest alongside his brother Denis) has joked that the best is yet to come from his team, with last season’s key performers Pierre Lees-Melou (31) and Bradley Locko (22) waiting to return from lengthy injuries. Le Saint joked to Le Télégramme, “We will have them with us for the final in Munich.” 

Brest host Leverkusen after the international break

Confidence is flowing in the north of France ahead of a visit from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the 23rd of October. Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen squad almost went unbeaten throughout the entire 2023/24 season, losing only once in the final of the Europa League to Atalanta BC. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

However, LOSC were also without key players such as Angel Gomes and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson. However, Genesio’s men defied expectations. “Yesterday, in the press conference, you weren’t sure that we were going to win,” joked Lucas Chevalier (22) in his post-match press conference. 

But that is just what they did. David scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy as Lille secured their first points of the current Champions League campaign. It was a momentous occasion for the LOSC players involved. 

“In 20 years, when I will have ended [my career], I will be able to say that I beat Real Madrid at home. It doesn’t happen every day,” reacted France U21 goalkeeper Chevalier, who more than played his part in securing the unlikely victory over the reigning European champions. 

For Chevalier, it is also a game that will go down in the French side’s history. “It is perhaps the greatest win in the club’s history,” he said.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

That marks the first time in the history of this competition that four French sides have won at least one fixture in the same Champions League campaign.

Stade Brestois are the top French side in the competition right now, winning both of their matches and sitting second in the overall table with six points.

AS Monaco are the other Ligue 1 club that have yet to suffer a Champions League defeat this season, coming back from a two-goal deficit on Wednesday to earn a 2-2 draw with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. Paris Saint-Germain, despite a defeat to Arsenal, won their first game, against Girona.

All four French sides competing in this tournament are currently positioned to make the knockout phase.

Not since the 2021-22 season have we seen more than one team from France feature in the knockout phases of the Champions League when PSG and Lille were eliminated in the Round of 16.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre

Denis Zakaria netted a late penalty as AS Monaco came from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw against Dinamo Zagreb on a sodden night in Croatia.

The Match

The deluge in Zagreb intensified around one hour before kick-off and did not relent. Playing conditions were at best difficult, at worst unplayable. But the game did go ahead. Both teams had to adapt to the conditions; Monaco struggled to do so. Their play style is based on close, neat interchanges often in tight spaces. On a drenched pitch, this did not work.

As both sides got used to the conditions, there were too huge early chances. From a free-kick, Philipp Köhn parried into Mohammed Salisu. On a drier pitch, the ball would have been in the back of the net, but the ball instead held up in the turf, allowing Salisu to recover and clear.

The ball holding up in the surface also gifted Takumi Minamino the chance to open the scoring just minutes later, however, he couldn’t beat Ivan Nevistic from close range. As a result of the conditions, it was a poor-quality affair with lots of fouls, lots of slips and few clear-cut chances.

However, Dinamo Zagreb adapted better and worked a two-on-two break well with Petar Sucic receiving the ball inside the Monaco box, cutting inside of Caio Henrique and then chipping Köhn.

That goal came with almost the last touch of the first half and it somewhat knocked the stuffing out of the Principality club, who lacked fluidity and intensity upon the return from the dressing room. Bruno Petkovic, Dinamo’s main threat was wasteful and perhaps could have put the Croatian side out of sight.

Martin Baturina seemingly did so when he beat three Monaco players before finishing into the bottom corner from outside the box. However, less than 10 minutes later, Salisu gave Monaco a lifeline with a back-post header.

That spurred them on to get the equaliser, which was netted from the spot by Zakaria after Folarin Balogun was felled in the box. “We came here to take the three points so I’d say it’s two points lost,” Zakaria told Canal Plus post-match. But in the context, Monaco must be happy to leave Croatia with anything at all, which leaves them in a strong position in the UEFA Champions League ‘League Phase’, and means that they remain unbeaten so far in all competitions this season.

Monaco player ratings

Philipp Köhn – 4

Caio Henrique – 3

Late in recovering an unbalanced as a result, he allowed Sucic to cut inside for Dinamo’s opener. Given Henrique’s long-range passing ability and the need to go direct on a drenched pitch, he would have been expected to have more of an impact in possession too.

Mohammed Salisu – 6

Thilo Kehrer – 4

Vanderson – 5

Lamine Camara – 4

Denis Zakaria – 7

Amid the chaos, the captain remained calm. He was at fault for not getting closer to Baturina for Dinamo’s second, however, unlike his teammates, he put in a largely error-free performance, proving combative, keeping it clean and getting the all-important equaliser.

Aleksandr Golovin – 4

Replaced by Folarin Balogun (5) at half-time. The USMNT forward struggled to have an impact. He made frequent good runs in behind the Dinamo defence but could not be found, however, he did win Monaco’s penalty late on.

Takumi Minamino – 3

The Japan international lost the ball on 19 occasions on the night and looked out of sync with his teammates throughout the match. He missed Monaco’s one big chance in the first half, which came inside the opening five minutes. Had he taken it, it may have been a very different game.

Maghnes Akliouche – 4

Breel Embolo – 4

Replaced by George Ilenkihena (4) at half-time.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

History awaited at the Stade Pierre Mauroy as the minutes ticked away and a stadium waited in anticipation for the final whistle. When it arrived a wave of jubilation hit the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Lille OSC had done the unthinkable. Jonathan David’s 45th-minute penalty would seal a famous 1-0 victory over European champions Real Madrid.

The Match

A couple of heavy touches from Real Madrid set the tempo as Lille controlled the ball in the early exchanges. The threat from Los Blancos was always clear and they were more than comfortable playing without the ball. A mistake from Edon Zhegrova near his own goal allowed the visitors to pounce with Vincius Jr striking a venomous shot in the sixth minute but one that Lucas Chevalier dealt with comfortably. 

Real Madrid were happy to wait for their chances and spring into action when Lille made errors in their half. André lost possession and Endrick stormed through the defence, however, his shot was left wanting as it went straight towards Chevalier. Lille should have put themselves ahead in the 25th minute when Zhegrova’s swinging cross found Jonathan David at the far post, the striker’s header deflected off Andriy Lunin before his follow-up bounced off the post. 

It would take until the stroke of halftime for Lille to find the lead. Zhegrova’s free-kick hit Eduardo Camavinga in the hand. The referee waved the decision away but VAR advised him to check the screen. A quick decision and a penalty was awarded. David stepped up and fired the ball into the top right-hand corner, while Lunin leapt in the opposite direction. 

Lille carried their threat into the second half of the contest. Zhegrova flashed a shot from the box, but it curled safely out of play. Carlo Ancelotti had seen enough and the boos rang out as Kylian Mbappé stood waiting to come onto the pitch and mark his return to the stadium that had hosted his final game at Paris Saint-Germain. It was a change that signalled a different feeling to the game. 

Real Madrid began to control the ball more forcing Lille to wait for their chances and hit on the counter. However, Les Dogues were happy with this arrangement and Zhegrova continued to be this twisting and twirling threat down the wing. His feet were quick and his delivery carried a consistent threat. 

The yellow cards began to pick up for Real Madrid as frustration began to boil over as the game wore closer to its conclusion. Antonio Rüdiger already on a yellow card was lucky not to receive a second booking when he pulled Alexsandro to the ground by his arm. The referee appeared not to see and VAR was unable to intervene as it was not a red card offence. 

The pressure was mounting. Real Madrid flooded forward with Chevalier forced into action. Luka Modrić lobbed the Lille defensive line and found Arda Güler, but the Turkish international’s header was fired straight into Chevalier. One last chance from Modrić’s freekick in the final minute, but it would come to nothing as it couldn’t beat the final man. The final whistle blew. Release. Celebration. Lille had won.

Lille Player Ratings 

Lucas Chevalier – 9

The last line of defence. The France U21 was crucial again for Lille. He was vital as he consistently several saves to keep Madrid frustrated. Lille are well aware of the talent that they have on their hands. And with each game that he plays the price for the goalkeeper only increases. 

Gabriel Gudmundsson – 7

Alexsandro – 7

Bafodé Diakité, 7

Mitchel Bakker – 6

Ayyoub Bouaddi – 8

An incredible evening for the midfielder who turned 17 today and was likely not in Bruno Génésio’s plans until Angel Gomes was suspended in the match against Sporting. There was ice in his veins. His touches on the ball were calm and reassuring as he made his first start in the Champions League. The future looks exceptionally bright for another in Lille’s long line of academy products. 

Benjamin André – 6

Tiago Santos – 7

Rémy Cabella – 6

Edon Zhegrova – 9

The Kosovan international was a constant flurry of activity. A danger that kept the Real Madrid defence consistently on their toes, and the person who caused the penalty. 

Jonathan David – 7

Real Madrid selected player ratings

Endrick – 4 

Jude Bellingham – 4

The England international looked frustrated throughout the evening and ineffective when positioned out wide on the flanks of a 4-4-2. A number of late challenges would eventually result in a booking not far from the end of the game. 

Vinicius Jr. – 4 

GFFN | Nick Hartland