Paris Saint-Germain headed into their Ligue 1 clash against Montpellier away from home on Sunday looking to regain pole position in the table.
Carlo Ancelotti's side did go back to the top of the league standings with a 1-1 draw that ended with just 20 players on the pitch.
Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by minute live commentary below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute text commentary of the Ligue 1 game between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain tonight. It promises to be an interesting game and you can follow all the action live on this page.
Montpellier are the defending French champions but they are currently just a point above the relegation zone in 16th place.
On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain are a point behind Marseille in second place and will go top again with a draw at Stade de la Mosson. A win will see Carlo Ancelotti?s side go two points clear.
Montpellier Starting Lineup: Jourdren; Jeunechamp, Congre, El Kaoutari, Bedimo; Saihi, Estrada; Cabella, Belhanda, Camara; Charbonnier
Paris Saint-Germain Starting Lineup: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Thiago Silva, Sakho, Maxwell; Thiago Motta, Verratti, Matuidi; Lavezzi, Hoarau, Menez
If you are wondering why Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not in PSG?s lineup, here?s why: he is suspended. Thiago Motta will make his first start for PSG since the middle of September after recovering from a back injury.
Kickoff is just around five minutes away, so stay tuned on to this page and catch all the action as it happens live. It does promise to be a very intriguing game.
The two sets of players are on the pitch and the game is just minutes away from kickoff.
And the game kicks off...
Brilliant effort there from Montpellier's Remy Cabella! He tries an audacious overhead kick that goes over the PSG crossbar.
Montpellier are dominating possession and territory at the moment, as PSG are being forced to defend deep.
Good attacking move there from the hosts. A cross is floated from the left flank that creates problem in the PSG box, as Montpellier hog possession. However, they fail to deliver the final ball and the visitors clear the danger away.
Free kick to the home side from a dangerous position on the right. Marco Verratti brings down Younes Belhanda and the referee awards a free kick to Montpellier.
The free kick is floated in from the right and Souleymane Camara rises above Thiago Silva to heard it towards the PSG goal, but he fails to keep it on target.
PSG earn a corner from their first real attack of the game. The corner is brilliantly taken but Guillaume Hoarau's header does off the mark.
RED CARD Mamadou Sakho has been sent off for PSG. He loses possession of the ball just outside the area and then pulls Charbonnier's shirt. The referee sends the defender off and awards the hosts a free kick.
Marco Estrada takes the free kick but fails to keep it on target.
PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti is forced into making a substitution. Defender Alex comes on in place of Guillaume Hoarau.
Let me catch my breath now. What a stupendous last three minutes they were! PSG are down to 10 men and are struggling against a Montpellier side who are just a point above the relegation zone. The game is being played almost entirely in the PSG half of the pitch.
It is still 0-0 between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain. But the odds are stacked in the home side?s favour at the moment who are now going to take another free kick.
LAVEZZI! PSG launch a counterattack following that Montpellier free kick, as Jeremy Menez gallops down the right flank. He then slips a pass through to Ezequiel Lavezzi, who shoots wide from just yards out.
It would not have counted anyway, as the assistant referee had raised his flag. Lavezzi was in an offside position when he received the ball.
CAMARA! Montpellier go on the attack again and a cross is whipped in from the right that Souleymane Camara heads towards goal, only for Salvatore Sirigu to claim it with ease.
Menez tries to launch an attack down the left flank for PSG, but he is easily dispossessed. The Parisian giants are feeding on crusts and crumbs here, as far as chances are concerned.
Corner to Montpellier... It is taken short and finally it is whipped in, but Sirigu parries the ball away from danger.
I have watched the replay of the Sakho dismissal once again. To me it seems that it was a harsh decision, as there was a PSG defender coming to cover him. However, the referee thought that he was denying Charbonnier a clear goalscoring opportunity and sent him off.
Half an hour gone in this game, it is still goalless between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain, who are a man down. It has been all Montpellier so far.
Another corner to the home side, as Camara?s attempted cross from the right flank is blocked.
Another set piece chance wasted by the French champions, as they can create nothing concrete from their latest corner.
Wow, there is a brawl between the two sets of players. Verratti is brought down by Jamel Saihi and Thiago Motta gets angry over it and begins to vent his frustration.
The referee shows yellow cards to Thiago Motta and Cyril Jeunechamp.
Cyril Jeunechamp goes off for Montpellier and on comes Garry Bocaly.
Ten minutes to half-time, it is still goalless.
GOAL Maxwell scores and makes it 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain! Merez runs down the right, skips past a few challenges as he cuts inside and then tees up Maxwell on the left side of the Montpellier penalty area. The full-back then cheekily lifts the ball over Geoffrey Jourdren and into the goal off the upright.
That was a brilliant goal from Maxwell - everything was in slow motion. Much against the run of play, PSG have taken the lead. It was actually their first shot on target, from what I can understand.
Oh, Montpellier are so close to finding the equaliser! Gaetan Charbonnier does some very good work on the left side of the PSG penalty area and slips a pass to Souleymane Camara, whose shot from the centre of the box goes over the crossbar.
Just under five minutes left for the half-time interval. PSG lead 1-0 despite playing with 10 men.
MENEZ!! PSG launch another counterattack as Menez and Lavezzi combine. The Argentine tees up his teammate on the left, but Menez?s attempt on goal is brilliantly blocked by Jourdren.
That was so so close for PSG. Ancelotti?s team could have headed to the break 2-0 up had Menez been successful with that attempt.
Meanwhile, we have now played the first of the two minutes of injury time that have been awarded.
The referee blows the half-time whistle and brings the first-half action to a close.
It is half-time between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain, and it is the visitors who lead 1-0, thanks to a brilliant goal from Maxwell. PSG are also down to 10 men after Mamadou Sakho was controversially sent off in the early minutes of the encounter.
The second-half action will start in a matter of minutes. PSG are 1-0 up from the first half, but a man down.
The players are on the pitch now, as the second half is about to get underway.
And here we kick off with the second half action...
It has been a slow start to the second half, as both sides are lacking momentum at the moment.
Verratti becomes the first player to go into the referee's book in the second half. His challenge on Belhanda is adjudged to be dangerous. He is, of course, not happy and is protesting his innocence.
Now Belhanda is shown the yellow card.
Oh, another chance for Montpellier. A dangerous ball is whipped in for Charbonnier, who heads wide of the mark after rising the highest.
Marco Verratti is taken off now by Ancelotti. And on comes Clement Chantome. Verratti had a frustrating night, to be honest. I have seen better performances from the youngster than this.
Cabella! He tries to curl it past Sirigu into the far corner, but can get only a corner from it that Montpellier fail to capitalise on.
Another substitution for the home side. Anthony Mounier comes on for Souleymane Camara.
MAXWELL! The PSG full-back once again finds himself inside the Montpellier penalty area as he is slipped a neat pass by Lavezzi, but he fails to find the target from a narrow angle on the left.
GOAL Remy Cabella scores for Montpellier and makes it 1-1! He finds himself with a loose ball just outside the PSG area and after taking it a few yards, shoots home past Sirigu. Game on!
We have a game on our hands now. Montpellier have been the better side so far in the second half and have deservedly restored parity.
Marco Estrada tries to curl the ball into the PSG net, but fails to keep it on target.
Now Mounier fires in a shot from the left at the PSG goal, but, like Estrada a minute before him, cannot keep it on target.
I have caught a glimpse of Javier Pastore warming up. Ancelotti could bring on the Argentine playmaker soon. And isn?t he a delightful, creative player!
RED CARD: Younes Belhanda is sent off for Montpellier! He picks up his second booking of the evening after stopping Lavezzi's attempted ball into the area with his hands.
MENEZ! The former Roma star shoots at the Montpellier goal but is denied once again by Jourdren.
What an absolutely breathtaking game this is turning out to be. It is 1-1 and both sides have had a man sent off. It is 10 against 10 now.
Saihi is shown the yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Lavezzi.
Cabella goes for goal again, but this time his shot goes wide of the target.
Brilliant block there from PSG centre-back Alex, as he puts in his right foot just at the right time to stop Cabella?s shot from close range.
Montpellier make another chance. Emanuel Herrera comes on in place of Gaetan Charbonnier.
Maxwell is sent a long ball through from the midfield that he tries to turn across the face of the Montpellier goal. But it is blocked and PSG earn a corner.
The corner is floated in, but the hosts have no problem in clearing it away with ease.
Carlo Ancelotti makes another substitution. Thiago Motta comes off and in his place arrives on to the pitch a certain Kevin Gameiro. Forward for a defensive midfielder - seems Ancelotti wants to bag maximum points from this match.
PSG earn a free kick from a dangerous position. Menez sends Gameiro through and the forward is brought down on the edge of the Montpellier penalty area.
ALEX! The PSG defender shoots at goal from the free kick but his attempt flies over the Montpellier crossbar.
Ten minutes of normal time remain in this match. It is 1-1 between Montpellier and PSG and we have only 20 players on the pitch.
The players look tired at the moment but are not giving up on scoring what is likely to be the winner at this stage.
There are flares going off just behind the PSG goal and smoke is coming on to the pitch. The referee is talking to the fourth official now, but it seems that he does not consider this to be any problem. Play resumes.
Just three minutes of normal time remain, as Sirigu collects an Estrada shot with ease.
BEDIMO! What a wonderful challenge from Montpellier defender Henri Bedimo on Kevin Gameiro! Lavezzi puts his teammate through on goal, but Bedimo makes a tackle just as Gameiro is about to pull the trigger on his shot from deep inside the penalty area.
Two minutes of injury time have been awarded here.
ALEX! The PSG defender takes the free kick but he shoots it over the Montpellier crossbar.
And there the referee blows the full-time whistle and brings the game to an end. That was the last kick of the game. It has finished 1-1 between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain.
Mamadou Sakho was sent off for PSG early in the first half, but much against the run of play Maxwell gave the Parisian outfit the lead with a wonderful goal on 37 minutes. However, Remy Cabella equalised on the hour-mark for the home side, who had Younes Belhanda sent off later in the second half.
I hope that you enjoyed Sports Mole's live coverage of the match. Have a good night and it is goodbye from me for now.
Written by
Subhankar Mondal
Subhankar Mondal
