Nobody in the Stade Charléty had reason to believe this was coming. Monaco led 2-1 with 89 minutes on the clock, effectively three points from reclaiming the Ligue 1 summit. Then a set piece, a scramble, a goalkeeper who should have held it, and a rebound that fell to a Paris FC midfielder who had been invisible for eighty-eight minutes. His name is Mamadou Traoré. Remember it.
The goal was confirmed after a 74-second VAR check that felt like two lifetimes. The Monaco bench erupted in protest. Traoré sprinted to the corner flag and stood there, arms wide, as if he couldn't quite believe what his feet had done. Final whistle: Paris FC 2, Monaco 2. Monaco dropped two points from what looked like a certain win. PSG, watching from a hotel room in Lyon, jumped back to the top of the table.
This is what Ligue 1 looked like before the league was reduced to a two-team conversation. It looks like this again. And French football is richer for it.
