Guingamp magic floors Paris

EA Guingamp coach Jocelyn Gourvennec hailed his "extraordinary players" after a fourth successive victory in all competitions halted Paris Saint-Germain's unbeaten Ligue 1 run.

Jérémy Pied made the most of Thibault Giresse's free-kick to score the only goal in Brittany, as two of the three French sides still in European competition met at Roudourou on Sunday.

The 11th-minute strike ended Paris's 19-game undefeated streak in the league. The French champions therefore suffered their first two losses this term within five days, following Wednesday's 3-1 reverse at FC Barcelona.

"We defended brilliantly after scoring the opener. We had plenty of opportunities as well, so did they," said a delighted Gourvennec. "This is a stunning performance from my side, considering we landed from Greece at 5.30am on Friday [following the UEFA Europa League tie at PAOK FC]. Paris had also had an extra day's rest."

French Cup winners in 2014, the Breton club were rock-bottom following a 7-2 home reverse to OGC Nice on 26 October. However, En Avant are now up to 13th position and enjoying a four-match winning sequence – having also qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32 after Thursday's decisive 2-1 Group K success at PAOK, their rivals for the runners-up spot.

"We had only 12 points [in Ligue 1] following the defeat at Évian [Thonon Gaillard FC] on 30 November," said Gourvennec. "After that we beat [SM] Caen, [Stade de] Reims – then we reached the last 32 in the UEFA Europa League, and now [we beat] Paris.

"That's four wins in a row in just 10 days. We had been so unlucky for weeks: playing well, fighting hard, but losing on tiny details. We hardly scored. Now it feels like the wheel of fortune is turning."

The French tactician added: "Defeating Paris, the last unbeaten team in the league, is a huge performance. All wins are important, and while a draw would have sufficed today, my players fought for the three points. We feel relieved."

Summer signing Pied was thrilled to have scored against Laurent Blanc's men. "They have much better players, but we managed to upset them," the midfielder said. "We fought hard and bravely, we played efficiently and defended well for most of the second period. That's how we achieved the win."

With a modest €22m budget compared with the Parisian outfit's near €500m outlay, Guingamp managed to close the gap on the pitch in a one-off tie. Tipped to damage France's UEFA rankings following a difficult draw alongside ACF Fiorentina, PAOK and FC Dinamo Minsk, Guingamp also defied the odds in becoming the only Ligue 1 side to get to the UEFA Europa League knockout rounds.

As for Paris, fortunately leaders Olympique de Marseille also lost on Sunday at AS Monaco FC, meaning the second-placed team can still grab the winter champions' crown next weekend against Montpellier Hérault SC – provided Marseille fail to win. "I feel I'm backed by the directors," Blanc said. "What we need is the team to be fully focused. That was not the case today – and Guingamp deserved their win."