Illia Zabarnyi’s Performance Casts a Shadow Over PSG’s Enchanting Evening

At Paris Saint-Germain, it’s not just Lucas Chevalier who is struggling among the summer recruits. Illia Zabarnyi, signed for €70 million, specifically wanted to join PSG. He arrived happily as the team secured their first-ever European Super Cup against Tottenham, but his performance has since taken a downturn. Last Friday, during the match against Strasbourg, his partnership with Lucas Beraldo raised concerns, rather than excitement.

Another Challenging Match

The Ukrainian defender appears rather heavy on the pitch and often struggles against quicker opponents. In the game against Strasbourg, Joaquin Panichelli posed a significant challenge, scoring an impressive header after overpowering Zabarnyi. Fortunately, the return of Willian Pacho, who replaced Beraldo, helped boost Zabarnyi’s confidence. However, things worsened on Tuesday night.

While PSG celebrated a dominant 7-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, Zabarnyi may have been the only player without a smile. After his team initially led 1-0, he committed a handball in the box during a fall after a duel with Etcheverri, resulting in a penalty (27th minute). Luckily for him, the shot from Grimaldo hit the post. Just ten minutes later, he was outpaced by Kofane, conceding another penalty, which Aleix Garcia converted to equalize, leading to Zabarnyi’s red card (37th minute).

Two Penalties Conceded

Fortunately, this did not hinder Désiré Doué and his teammates from easily defeating the Germans. With Marquinhos returning to the squad, but still resting, Zabarnyi missed the opportunity to prove he could take the Brazilian’s place in the future. Laure Boulleau commented on Zabarnyi’s mentality, stating, “What’s frustrating about Zabarnyi is that he seems unwilling to lose duels. Sometimes, you just have to let go. Trying to fight when you’ve already lost the duel can make things worse, like getting a red card. He should have recognized when he was beaten.”

After the match, Ousmane Dembélé refrained from criticizing his teammate, though he did mention the Ukrainian’s red card. “We started the match well with an early goal. Afterwards, we had a tough period with many yellow and red cards. I think we could have avoided our red card, but it is what it is.” Meanwhile, Luis Enrique maintained a positive outlook, stating, “Overall, we played very well and deserved to win. It felt a bit strange, as with the red card, it changed to a different game with ten against ten.” Whether Illia Zabarnyi will play against Brest remains uncertain, especially with Marquinhos back, but the Ukrainian has learned that his coach typically doesn’t abandon players during rough patches.