Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Stade Rennes - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - February 25, 2024 Paris St Germain's Goncalo Ramos is fouled and awarded a penalty REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
PARIS (Reuters) -Paris St Germain striker Goncalo Ramos came off the bench to replace Kylian Mbappe and rescued a point for the Ligue 1 leaders with a last-gasp penalty that salvaged a 1-1 draw against Stade Rennais at Parc des Princes on Sunday.
PSG, now unbeaten in their last 18 Ligue 1 matches, have 54 points from 23 games and an 11-point lead over second-placed Brest, who won 3-0 at Strasbourg on Saturday.
Mbappe, linked with a move to Real Madrid, had an uneventful night before being taken off in the 65th minute.
The France captain, who leads the Ligue 1 scoring charts this season with 21 goals, made way for Ramos, who was brought down by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda for the penalty.
"We have to get used to not playing with Kylian, sooner or later it's going to happen," PSG manager Luis Enrique told reporters. "When I consider it appropriate, he will play or not play, as all coaches do with their players.
"I want maximum competitiveness for next season. I want every starting player in this PSG team to think that this is a great opportunity. That's what I'm looking for this season and next season."
Rennes, who could have extended their winning streak to seven matches, took the lead in the 33rd minute after a bursting run by Amine Gouiri who slotted into the top-right corner.
They looked set to walk away with all three points before Ramos converted his spot kick in added time to level the scores. PSG were handed the penalty following a VAR review.
PSG next visit third-placed AS Monaco, who have 41 points, in Ligue 1 on Friday. Rennes, who are seventh with 35 points, travel to fourth-tier club Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne in the Coupe de France quarter-finals on Thursday.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ken Ferris)
