Monaco inflicted a severe defeat on its guest leader, Paris Saint-Germain, who was injured on a continental basis, when they dropped them 3-0 in the principality in the twenty-ninth stage of the French League, adding to their third defeat in the last five matches in “Ligue 1”.
The capital team played the match without its Argentine star, Lionel Messi, due to his infection with the flu, and his compatriot Angel Di Maria, with a thigh muscle injury, while the Brazilian attacking line was led by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who lost his partnership with Wissam Ben Yedder, the top scorer in the league.
Ben Yedder, of Tunisian origin, scored two goals (25 and 84 from a penalty kick), taking his tally to 17 goals in the league this season, while Germany’s Kevin Volland scored the other (68).
This loss is not expected to have any impact on Saint-Germain’s endeavor to regain the title that it lost last season to Lille, as it leads the standings by 15 points from each of Marseille and Nice, who are second and third, respectively, who meet later.
The Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team suffered a harsh exit from the Champions League last week, following he was eliminated from the price-finals once morest Real Madrid, following winning 1-0 in the first leg and progressing with the same result back in Madrid, before losing that confrontation 3-1. He led to boos at Messi and Neymar during last week’s win over Bordeaux.
Pochettino criticized his players’ performance harshly, saying, “It is not acceptable to start the match like this. There is a sporting disgrace and a lack of respect for the domestic league.”
He added: “We have to come out of the disappointment of getting out of the Champions League and we have to do our best. We lacked the fighting spirit and this is unacceptable once morest a team that was determined to compensate for its continental exit (from the Europa League). This must not be repeated, it can be We lose matches between now and the end of the season, but what happened today should not be repeated because it is dangerous.”
This is the third defeat for Saint-Germain in the league in the last five matches, following Nantes (3-1) and Nice (1-0).
“We may win 8-0 and 9-0, but people will think regarding the Champions League,” Mbappe said following losing to his former team. “We must remain professional and respect the fans who support us and our families. We must respect ourselves.”
For his part, FC Monaco returned to the path of victories, following falling once morest Strasbourg in the previous stage, reinforcing its hopes of competing for European seats, following raising its score to 44 points in seventh place, three points from the fifth Strasbourg.
