Paris Saint‑Germain suffered a second consecutive home defeat on Sunday, losing 1‑0 to Lyon and seeing their lead at the top of Ligue 1 reduced to six points. After a 2‑0 home loss to Rennes two weeks earlier, it was Lyon’s Bradley Barcola who delivered the latest setback for PSG at the Parc des Princes. Barcola, who came on for the injured Amin Sarr, scored after Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty in the first half. The defeat marks PSG’s fifth Ligue 1 loss this season, all occurring in 2023, and leaves Christophe Galtier’s side just six points ahead of second‑placed Lens and third‑placed Marseille. Lyon, coached by former PSG boss Laurent Blanc, move up to ninth place.
Midfielder Danilo acknowledged that the team had entered “a difficult phase” that needed to be overcome as rivals closed the gap. “We have to wake up. The title is not guaranteed at all; there are still a lot of matches,” he said on Prime Video. “There are a lot of things to change, not just the mindset, but it’s not up to me to say what.” PSG have been severely hampered by injuries, with Neymar still recovering from ankle surgery and the defence depleted. Kylian Mbappé, now France captain, failed to produce a late winner as he has in earlier games against Strasbourg and Brest. Before kickoff, Lionel Messi’s name drew whistles from supporters during the team line‑up announcement. Messi, who led Argentina to last year’s World Cup triumph, is nearing the end of his two‑year contract with the Paris club, and talks have begun about a possible renewal.
Monaco continued their push for a Champions League spot with a dramatic 4‑3 home win over lowly Strasbourg. Although Monaco trailed 2‑1 at halftime after taking an early lead through Vanderson, Strasbourg regained the advantage thanks to goals from Lebo Mothiba and an own‑goal by Chilean defender Guillermo Maripan. In the second half, 18‑year‑old Eliesse Ben Seghir, 18‑year‑old Edan Diop, and Youssouf Fofana each scored within an 11‑minute spell to put Monaco ahead 4‑2, with Habib Diallo’s stoppage‑time strike offering only a consolation for Strasbourg. Monaco now have 57 points, just three behind third‑placed Marseille, who were held to a 1‑1 draw by Montpellier on Friday. “As I told the players, we saw two faces of Monaco tonight,” said Monaco coach Philippe Clement. “We started well and for 25 minutes we were good, but then the aggressiveness fell away and Strasbourg came back and scored twice. At half‑time I was very angry; I did not recognise my team.”
Comments are closed for this story.