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Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Fournier's future looks more uncertain than ever after his side were held to a 1-1 draw away to Ajaccio.
Fournier himself had said a draw would be a good result in Corsica, yet his President Pierre Blayau is almost assured of taking a different point of view as the capital outfit once again failed to string together two consecutive victories.
Indeed, much has happened since last weekend's encouraging win over Rennes, not least a back injury to the man who scored both goals in that game. With so much at stake, 12-goal Pedro Pauleta was declared fit to start, however the Portuguese striker's influence was understandably limited and it was Ajaccio who took the upper hand early on.
The hosts had easily as much to fight for as PSG, having lost 10 of their last 11 games and lying six points adrift of safety. Given their plight and the gruff determination of their Coach Rolland Courbis, they were never going to make things easy for Fournier - and so it proved as a cross-shot from former Parisian Romain Rocchi sped dangerously across the face of goal after fifteen minutes.
PSG began to push up in response and, as Vikash Dhorasoo and Sylvain Armand gradually imposed themselves in midfield, Fournier's charges looked more comfortable on the ball. Bonaventure Kalou had a goal ruled out for offside, but the danger signs had not dissipated at the other end and Lionel Letizi was forced to make a wonder save as Nenad Dzodic headed an André Luiz corner goalwards.
Having seen his side concede a number of goals from set-pieces this season, Fournier was absolutely livid on the touch-line, yet he soon had reason to smile as Ivory Coast forward Kalou headed in a Christophe Landrin cross from the right following good approach play from Armand and Pauleta.
The PSG players' joy was clear to see following multiple declarations of loyalty to their boss this week, but within two minutes later the islanders had hit back through Rocchi. Kaba Diawara fired in a cross for André Luiz, the Brazilian slipped the ball through to Rocchi and the 24-year-old stabbed the ball past his old teammate Letizi to register Ajaccio's first goal since October 16.
What the capital club's President made of that one can only imagine, but Fournier's reaction was to send on Modeste M'Bami for the increasingly ineffective Dhorasoo soon after the interval. It was Ajaccio who looked the most threatening, however, and Courbis was furious when a Rocchi strike was disallowed for a dubious offside call in the 56th minute.
Kalou drew a good save from stand-in goalkeeper Stéphane Trévisan as PSG hit back, yet Fournier realised more changes had to made and replaced the furious but invisible Jérôme Rothen with Uruguayan midfielder Cristian Rodriguez. The ineffective Pauleta then made way for Carlos Bueno as time ticked down but, an off-target attempt from Kalou apart, the visitors were unable to carve out the chances that could have swung the game.
All that was left was the final whistle, and the resumption of another game altogether – predicting the fate of Laurent Fournier. Blayau will surely have heard the small contingent of PSG fans singing the name of their under-fire Coach as the players trudged off the pitch; whether he takes any notice remains to be seen.
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