PARIS: After Neymar was sent off, Edinson Cavani stepped up for Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain with an injury-time free-kick to salvage a 2-2 draw in a fiery clash at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille on Sunday.

Cavani won the foul after being knocked over by forward Bouna Sarr, and curled the ball in off the underside of the crossbar with goalkeeper Steve Mandanda slightly slow to cover.

“It’s an important goal because the game was almost finished but at least we salvaged a point,” Cavani said of his ninth goal of the season. “It was very difficult for us to play in this atmosphere and it’s an important point. That’s football — there are matches where you have to give everything.”

Cavani took the free-kick because Neymar, the world’s most expensive player when he joined from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($260 million), picked up a second yellow card in the 87th minute.

“After the sending off it was hard, but the character of the team got us through,” PSG coach Unai Emery said. “I don’t think it was fair on Neymar. He gets provoked in every game. ”

Neymar will be suspended for Friday’s home match against Nice.

The Brazil striker reacted angrily to a challenge from behind from Lucas Ocampos, and sent the Argentine winger tumbling to the ground at Stade Velodrome in retribution.

That happened soon after winger Florian Thauvin acrobatically volleyed home in the 78th from substitute Clinton Njie’s pass to give Marseille a 2-1 lead.

Marseille had opened the scoring with a Luiz Gustavo long range shot on 16 minutes before Neymar levelled with a fine threaded shot on 33 minutes for his 10th goal in 11 games for the club.

The result means PSG keep their unbeaten record atop Ligue 1 with 26 points, four ahead of Monaco on 22.

Despite conceding late on, it was a confidence boost for Marseille after being routed 5-1 at home by PSG last season.

“We thought we’d done enough to win,” Mandanda said. “But we should be happy and proud of our performance.”

Marseille are fifth on 18 points as they were leapfrogged into fourth on 19 by Olympique Lyonnais, who hammered Troyes 5-0 away with a Memphis Depay hat-trick.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2017