FILE PHOTO: Paris Saint‑Germain’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League first‑round Group A match between Paris Saint‑Germain (PSG) and Manchester City at the Parc des Princes, Paris, on 28 September 2021. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Lionel Messi scored a 95th‑minute free‑kick to give Paris Saint‑Germain a 4‑3 win over Lille in an extraordinary Ligue 1 game on Sunday. Kylian Mbappé netted twice, but Neymar was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury. PSG had squandered a two‑goal lead, falling 3‑2 behind before Mbappé’s late equaliser and Messi’s stunning strike. The victory ends a run of three straight defeats for PSG and puts them seven points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Monaco, who later beat Brest 2‑1 away. Marseille can move back into second place—and within five points of the leaders—with a win at Toulouse on Sunday evening before they host PSG next weekend.
“We came through it. It wasn’t a great performance,” Mbappé told Amazon Prime. “We made lots of mistakes and lost concentration too often, and against a quality side you pay dearly for that. But we showed that even when we are not at our best and the context is not exactly favourable, we are a different team with different players and we can always find a way.”
The immediate concern for the Parisians is Neymar’s injury. He looked to be in tears as he was helped onto a stretcher early in the second half after turning his right ankle. His fitness will dominate headlines ahead of next week’s clash with Marseille and the second leg of PSG’s Champions League last‑16 tie against Bayern Munich on 8 March. “‘Ney’ has sprained his ankle. We will see how serious it is. We don’t know yet—he is undergoing tests at the moment,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier, who also saw left‑back Nuno Mendes leave in the first half with an ankle‑ligament injury that “doesn’t seem too serious.” “I hope ‘Ney’ is going to come back quickly because he is an important player for us,” added Mbappé.
Galtier’s side were looking to bounce back from a 1‑0 home loss to Bayern in the first leg of that European tie. They went ahead early against Lille through Mbappé, making his first start after returning from a recent thigh injury. Neymar then made it 2‑0 against a side PSG had beaten 7‑1 in August, but Bafode Diakité pulled one back for Lille midway through the first half. Neymar was carried off within five minutes of the second half, and Lille drew level when Jonathan David converted a penalty after a Marco Verratti foul. Jonathan Bamba then gave Lille a 3‑2 lead with a superb finish, and the home side seemed set for a fourth successive loss before Mbappé scored from a Juan Bernat assist with three minutes remaining—his 27th goal of the season in all competitions. The drama continued as Messi won a free‑kick after being fouled by Benjamin André just outside the area; the World Cup winner struck the dead ball off the post to complete a remarkable comeback.
Monaco beat PSG last weekend before a 3‑2 away victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League play‑off on Thursday. The principality side went ahead late in the first half against Brest through Aleksandr Golovin, and a rare goal from Dutch forward Myron Boadu doubled their lead, with Jeremy Le Douaron pulling one back. Rennes, who lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League midweek, moved back above Lille into fifth by beating Clermont 2‑0, with former PSG forward Arnaud Kalimuendo scoring both goals. Lorient and Montpellier also recorded wins, while Strasbourg climbed out of the relegation zone by beating bottom‑side Angers 2‑1 in their first game under new coach Frédéric Antonetti. Fellow strugglers Auxerre beat Lyon 2‑1 on Friday, and Nice and Reims drew 0‑0. (AFP)
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