Racing Strasbourg is currently excelling in the French league. A new signing has played a significant role in this.
Paris Saint-Germain has won the Ligue 1 title eleven times in the past 13 years, with more than one of those titles being particularly dominant. In the current season, PSG is once again at the top of the table, but they do not have a comfortable lead. Quite the opposite!
Several teams are hot on the heels of the capital club, with Racing Strasbourg putting particular pressure on the star-studded squad. The Alsatians are in second place, just one point behind, and the two teams drew 3-3 on Friday evening.
Strasbourg’s strong position is due in no small part to a new signing. In the summer, Argentine Joaquín Panichelli moved from Spanish first-division side Deportivo Alavés to France for around €16.5 million – and he impressed immediately.
Double against PSG as an exclamation mark
The striker has played in eight games in the current Ligue 1 season, scoring seven goals already. In the two most recent matches against PSG and Angers, the 23-year-old even scored twice. Panichelli now comfortably leads the league’s scoring charts.
He impresses not only with the goals themselves but also with the way he scores them. In the 26th minute, Panichelli equalized against PSG with a powerful header to make it 1-1 – leaving his coach Liam Rosenier in awe.
“That is one of the most beautiful headed goals I have ever seen in the stadium,” he said, delighted, at the subsequent press conference.
Strasbourg thrilled with Panichelli
Shortly after halftime, the striker pushed the ball over the line from close range, completely unmarked. “The intensity was crazy, but I love the fight,” he said after the match, pleased with the wild draw.
Coaches, teammates, and fans are equally enthusiastic about the accurate new signing. “He integrated into the team quickly,” teammate Diego Moreira explained after the match. “We are very satisfied with his performance; he helps us a lot on the field, in duels. He is very good with his head. We can rely on him.”
Racing coach Rosenier could only agree: “This is one of the best performances by a striker I have ever seen. But it doesn’t surprise me, considering what he delivers in training every day. He works so hard. He has an incredible mentality. He understands what it takes to win.”
Joaquín Panichelli scored twice for Racing Strasbourg against PSG
National team as the next goal
Panichelli, who was born in Cordoba and trained at River Plate in Argentina, has become an essential part of the team in just a few weeks. And this is only the beginning of his personal development.
“The national team is my dream,” he stated after the match. “You have to work as hard as possible to earn that opportunity. But when you work hard, good things always happen.”