There is a café on Rue du Commandant Guilbaud, roughly equidistant from the Parc des Princes and the Stade Jean-Bouin, where regulars have spent decades arguing about which Paris club truly owns the 16th arrondissement. For most of that time, the debate was entirely theoretical. Paris FC played in the second division, then the third, then lower still. PSG became synonymous with Qatar, Champions League nights, and global superstars.
On Sunday evening, for the first time since December 17, 1978, that argument finally had a competitive answer.
The closest derby in world football
The numbers sound almost absurd. Forty-four metres separate Jean-Bouin from the Parc des Princes. Paris FC's players could have walked to the stadium in less time than it takes to complete a warm-up. Kevin Trapp, who spent three seasons at PSG between 2015 and 2018, made the journey as a visiting goalkeeper — facing the club that once gave him everything.
"To be honest, there's no better way to start the year," Trapp told reporters on Friday, his voice carrying the weight of someone who understood exactly what awaited him. "You're going to face the best team in Europe. You have to be at 100%, very efficient, and maybe have a bit of luck. There must be more excitement than fear."
The German was right about the emotion. The fear came anyway.
A story of siblings separated at birth
What makes this rivalry unique is not its intensity — it has none, not yet — but its origins. In 1970, Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain merged to form Paris Saint-Germain. Two years later, under pressure from the Paris City Council, they split. Paris FC kept the Parc des Princes and the professional players. PSG were administratively relegated to the third division.
The fates diverged from there. PSG rose. Paris FC fell. The 1978-79 season represented their only shared moment in the top flight until Red Bull's acquisition of PFC in 2024 changed everything.
Jürgen Klopp himself pushed for the move to Jean-Bouin, believing Charléty's distant seating diminished both fan engagement and player performance. The proximity to PSG was not coincidental. It was aspirational.
Désiré Doué breaks the deadlock
The match itself followed a familiar script, though not without moments of genuine anxiety for the European champions. PSG dominated possession — 70% by the final whistle — but Paris FC's 5-4-1 formation frustrated them for long stretches. Trapp made several important saves, including one from Senny Mayulu that briefly threatened to become the story of the evening.
Then, in first-half stoppage time, Désiré Doué reminded everyone why Luis Enrique trusted him over Bradley Barcola.
The 20-year-old's run into the box had earlier been fouled by Otávio, but VAR judged the initial contact to be outside the area. No penalty. No matter. When Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz combined to thread a ball through PFC's defensive line, Doué was waiting. His finish — a powerful strike into the roof of the net — was emphatic.
Doué had missed significant time in the autumn with injury. This was his return to the starting XI, and Flashscore named him Man of the Match. "Playing in small spaces, Désiré is one of the most decisive players," Luis Enrique noted. The young Frenchman's partnership with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is becoming something special.
Six minutes of chaos
The second half began with PSG seemingly in control. It lasted six minutes.
First, Ilya Zabarnyi fouled Alimami Gory in the box. Willem Geubbels converted the penalty — suddenly 1-1, suddenly a proper derby. Trapp had not conceded; his teammates had gifted Paris FC a lifeline.
Two minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé ended the drama. The Ballon d'Or holder cut in from the right, his left-footed strike deflecting wickedly off Moustapha Mbow and past Trapp. The German goalkeeper stood motionless, watching the ball nestle into his own net.
Luis Enrique showed no visible emotion on the touchline. This was his 100th match in charge of PSG's domestic campaign — the derby, inevitably, marking the milestone. "We've had a good first half of the season, but Lens has been better," he admitted afterward. "We need to improve to win more points."
What Kevin Trapp came home to
For Trapp, the evening must have carried a particular melancholy. He spent three seasons at PSG — good years, by his own admission, magnificent years — before returning to Eintracht Frankfurt and eventually circling back to Paris with the promoted newcomers.
"I've experienced so many great things in this stadium," he said before kick-off. "As soon as we step onto the pitch, it's going to be a match to play, a Ligue 1 match."
He played. He lost. The final scoreline — 2-1 to PSG — was respectable, though Paris FC's winless Ligue 1 run now extends to six matches. They sit 14th, four points above the relegation zone, their survival mission unchanged despite the historical significance of the evening.
The two clubs meet again in eight days, this time in the Coupe de France. Trapp will likely start again. The gap between them will remain enormous. But for 90 minutes on a January evening, two siblings reunited in the city that raised them both.
The title race tightens
PSG's victory brings them within one point of surprise leaders Lens, who demolished Toulouse 3-0 on Friday. The Sang et Or have won seven consecutive league matches — their best run in the 21st century. Luis Enrique knows his side cannot afford many more slip-ups.
"The league has always been a very clear objective for us," he said. "We have the ambition to win everything that can be won."
Everything includes the Champions League, where PSG remain strong favourites to defend their crown. The Club World Cup awaits in the summer. But Lens have proven stubborn, and Marseille — despite their own struggles — lurk just seven points behind PSG in third.
The Parisians' next challenge: Monaco, still reeling from six defeats in seven games. After that, the Trophée des Champions against Marseille in Kuwait. January will be relentless.
A rivalry that may never truly ignite
Will this derby ever carry genuine animosity? Trapp doesn't think so — not yet. "Today, the differences between PSG and Paris FC are enormous," he acknowledged. "We were promoted, we just want to stay in the league. I don't see a rivalry right now. But in the long term, ambitions could become similar."
Red Bull's investment suggests Paris FC are here to stay. Antoine Arnault's ownership adds another layer of intrigue. Perhaps, in five or ten years, the café debates on Rue du Commandant Guilbaud will carry real stakes.
For now, though, the evening belonged to memory. December 17, 1978 — a 1-1 draw at the old Parc des Princes — had been the last time these two clubs shared a Ligue 1 pitch. Forty-seven years later, the European champions proved why the wait was so long.
PSG are not merely neighbours. They are a different species entirely.