Argentine forward Lionel Messi struck after five minutes as PSG downed Lyon 1-0 on Sunday night. The win helped PSG to regain the top spot on the Ligue 1 table ahead of Marseille. Brazilian striker and rival Neymar set up Messi with his seventh assist in eight games.
Lionel Messi turned straight to Neymar to thank him for his assist 🥰 pic.twitter.com/FmjqFmsH8A
— GOAL (@goal) September 18, 2022
The victory pulled PSG two points clear of Marseille. Earlier, the latter had taken the top spot with a 1-1 draw at home against Rennes.
PSG coach credits Neymar, Messi
PSG head coach Christophe Galtier lauded the team to play a great game against a difficult team. “We scored a good goal and could have scored others. We were much more balanced. Neymar gave us a balance that was really necessary. Even if we were less mobile in the second half, we still had a lot of chances,” he added.
Haaland and De Bruyne and Messi and Neymar are the best duos in the world right now pic.twitter.com/I0VfdAU1cu
— 17 (@DxBruyneSZN) September 19, 2022
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PSG was commanding in the first half, but a weak finish meant the absence of more goals. However, Galtier’s side held on to inflict Lyon’s third loss of the season. Their ‘MNM’ attack is firing with eight goals for Neymar, seven for Kylian Mbappe, and four for Messi in Ligue 1. The presence of three big names in football makes the PSG a formidable force in European football.
Angers down Nice 1-0
In another game, Nice fell 1-0 at home against the Angers. This was after defender Jean-Clair Todibo earned a red card after five seconds into the clash. This also includes the four seconds it took for the referee to pull the card from his pocket.
Even though Boufal was later sent off, Angers won 1-0 with Nabil Bentaleb scoring just before the break. “I don’t think it was a red card,” said Nice coach Lucien Favre. “It was not a scoring opportunity. We would have won this game if we had played with eleven players,” he added.
