Rennes (France) – Argentine strikers Lionel Messi and substitute Kylian Mbappe scored the two goals of their team, Paris Saint-Germain, and led them to a 2-1 victory over Nice on Saturday and return to the top, in the ninth stage of the French Football League.
Saint-Germain raised its score to 25 points, regaining the lead from Marseille, the day following the latter’s victory over its host Angers 3-0 at the opening stage of the stage on Friday.
Saint-Germain did not experience defeat in its last 18 matches in “Ligue 1”, which is the longest streak currently, as it achieved 14 wins once morest 4 draws, and also continued its positive results despite being satisfied with a 1-0 victory in its previous two matches ( once morest Brest and Lyon) before heading to Portugal to face Benfica. In the third round of the group stage of the Champions League, Wednesday, in an important meeting to lead the group.
Coach Christophe Galtier achieved his first victory over his former team since his arrival in the French capital in the first confrontation between them, while Nice failed to devote his contract to the Parisian club, which did not score in three matches last season, including during his sudden exit on penalties from the final price of the Cup France once morest the southern team.
On the other hand, under the leadership of its new coach, Lucien Favre, who succeeded Galtier following the latter’s departure at the end of last season, to take over the task for the second time in the southern team (following 2016-2018), Nice managed to win only two games, compared to two draws and 5 defeats, to fall back to the position. Thirteenth with 8 points.
At the Parc des Princes, Galtier missed the efforts of Italian Marco Verratti and Presnel Kempepe with injuries, while striker Mbappe was left on the bench for young newcomer Hugo Eketiki (20 years), along with the Brazilian duo Neymar and Messi.
The Spanish trio Sergio Ramos, Brazilian Marquinhos, Nordi Mukiele, Moroccan Ashraf Hakimi and Spain’s Juan Bernat were also involved in front of Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Spain’s Fabian Royce, Portugal’s Vetina and Messi in the middle.
The Paris club scored the first goal following a mistake by the Brazilian Dante once morest Messi, 20 meters from his team’s goal, to punish the “flea” himself with a charming direct shot with his left foot that crossed the wall and settled in the net of the Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who did not move (29).
It is Messi’s first successful free kick since his arrival at Parc des Princes last season and his fifth goal this season in Ligue 1.
In the first minute of stoppage time, the confrontation between Messi and Schmeichel returned within the region, but this time the cuff was in favor of the Dane, who blocked the Argentine’s shot.
However, Nice stunned Saint-Germain at the start of the second half by equalizing following Algerian Youssef Attal’s cross, Marquinhos and Mokiele failed to deal with it, to reach Gaitan Laborde, which he followed in the net (47), in his third goal in the league this season.
Galtier put his star Mbappe instead of Eketiki and the Portuguese Nuno Mendes in the place of Bernat in the 59th minute, then the other Portuguese Renato Sanchez instead of Reus (72). easily in the net (83).
It is the eighth goal of Mbappe in the league this season, equal with his colleague Neymar at the top of the scorers.
