PSG upbeat despite draw at Lyon

LYON, France - Reuters

Hoarau (R) celebrates after scoring a dramatic equalizer at Olympique Lyon.

Paris Saint-Germain relinquished its Ligue 1 lead with a dramatic 4-4 draw at Olympique Lyon on Feb. 25 but coach Carlo Ancelotti and director of football Leonardo agreed the team showed the character needed to end its French title drought.

PSG rallied from 4-2 down with Guillaume Hoarau netting the equalizer four minutes into stoppage time and although the team trails leader Montpellier by one point, spirits remain high.

“It is a good result. Coming back from 4-2 down was no easy task. We showed great character and personality,” Ancelotti, who is unbeaten in competitive matches since he took over from Antoine Kombouare two months ago, told reporters.

“We did not lose faith in ourselves.”

PSG went ahead thanks to a Hoarau strike midway through the first half but conceded three goals in the space of seven minutes before the break.

“We showed fantastic spirit after conceding three goals,” Leonardo added.

“It is not easy to come back from that. At 4-2, it seemed it was over but we showed something very strong, which will help us for the rest of the season.”

Qatar-backed PSG, who spent over 80 million euros in transfers last summer, have not won the French title since 1994.

“We are now second in the standings but that is not a problem today,” Ancelotti said.