Luis Enrique’s decision to rest his stars ahead of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona almost backfired when Paris Saint-Germain came close to a shock defeat to bottom club Clermont Foot.
Goncalo Ramos scored a classy equaliser in the 86th minute to save PSG from a second consecutive defeat at home to Clermont.
Enrique changed the entire XI that started the French Cup semi-final win over Rennes in midweek, with Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos among those on a star-studded bench.
The team he picked would usually have been strong enough to win the game, but PSG started sluggishly and did not apply any sustained pressure until the second half. By then Habib Keita had given Clermont a surprise lead with a scruffy but precious goal.
The second half was one-way traffic, both before and after the introduction of Mbappe. Achraf Hakimi and Ramos both hit the bar before Ramos combined beautifully with Mbappe to score the equaliser.
The result means that PSG need a maximum of nine points from their last six matches to win their 10th Ligue 1 title in 12 seasons.
More to follow