PSG 2-0 Auxerre: Set-piece Routines Lead The Way For Luis Enrique’s Rotated Side

Paris Saint-Germain claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Auxerre at the Parc des Princes thanks to two short-corner routines.

With one eye on their midweek Champions League clash with Barcelona, Luis Enrique fielded a heavily rotated side, missing several stars, including recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came close to breaking the deadlock when Donovan Leon denied the winger with a reflex save, but PSG scored from the resulting corner as Illia Zabarnyi volleyed home from Vitinha's looping cross to the back post.

The Portuguese midfielder was substituted shortly after, with reports of a minor injury, though it took little time for PSG to extend their advantage after the break.

Bradley Barcola squandered a golden chance to extend their lead two minutes into the second half before Lucas Beraldo matched his centre-back partner’s goal with one of his own off a similar short corner routine, this time Senny Mayulu providing the inch-perfect pass.

Auxerre picked up some momentum in the second half, with Kevin Danois striking the outside of the post with a curling effort before Danny Namaso forced a smart stop from Lucas Chevalier, while Achraf Hakimi saw a goal disallowed in the 73rd after straying offside from Barcola's pass.

Luis Enrique's side managed to see their win through to the full-time whistle, bouncing back from their defeat to Marseille last time out.

Data Debrief: PSG set new home scoring streak

PSG have now scored in 36 consecutive Ligue 1 home games (90 goals), with Zabarnyi and Beraldo’s strikes on Saturday marking the club’s longest top-flight home scoring streak, surpassing the previous run of 35 matches between January 2013 and December 2014.

Perhaps mindful of their upcoming high-octane Champions League clash with Barcelona, PSG were clinical without being particularly spectacular, registering 1.51 xG.

Auxerre, meanwhile, managed just 0.69 xG as they struggled to create meaningful chances with limited possession.

Historically, PSG have dominated their counterparts. They are the team Auxerre has lost to most often in Ligue 1 (68 encounters, 29 defeats, tied with Bordeaux) and have now won 11 of their last 15 away matches against the club in the 21st century (W3 D1).