PARIS: Lionel Messi scored a superb second-half winner as a Paris Saint-Germain side missing the injured Kylian Mbappe and Neymar came from behind to beat Toulouse 2-1 on Saturday and consolidate their lead at the top of Ligue 1.
Dutch midfielder Branco van den Boomen gave mid-table Toulouse the lead at the Parc des Princes from a 20th-minute free-kick, only for Achraf Hakimi to curl in the equalizer with half-time approaching.
Messi then put PSG in front just before the hour mark with a glorious first-time strike on his left foot low into the corner of the net from just outside the area.
It was Messi’s 10th Ligue 1 goal of the season and his 15th for his club this campaign, as the World Cup winner stepped up in the absence of PSG’s two other superstar attackers.
The Qatar-owned club are now eight points clear at the top of the table from Marseille, who play Nice on Sunday and then host PSG in the French Cup last 16 in midweek.
Mbappe will miss that game and the Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich on February 14 after being ruled out for three weeks with a thigh injury suffered in the 3-1 win at Montpellier last Wednesday.
Neymar missed a second successive game here with an apparently minor adductor problem, meaning it was left to Messi to lead the attack alongside the 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike with support from Vitinha and Carlos Soler.
But Christophe Galtier’s side have other injury issues, with Sergio Ramos unable to play and Renato Sanches forced to come off in tears just 12 minutes into the game.
The Portuguese midfielder was starting for just the fifth time since joining from Lille at the start of the season.
He was replaced by teenage defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu, with Danilo Pereira moving up into the midfield, and the substitute was partly responsible when PSG fell behind.
Bitshiabu was booked for bringing down Zakaria Aboukhlal 25 meters from goal, and Van den Boomen sent the resulting free-kick low into the left corner of the net with Gianluigi Donnarumma beaten.
Messi hit the post from a corner and Toulouse had another goal disallowed for offside before the home side drew level seven minutes from half-time as Hakimi collected a Carlos Soler pass, cut in from the right flank and curled a shot on his left foot into the far corner from 20 meters.
Hakimi then turned provider as he set up Messi to make it 2-1 on 58 minutes and the outcome was rarely in doubt after that with PSG — who have had some recent wobbles — deserved winners.
Substitute Mikkel Desler did force a good save from Donnarumma deep into injury time before Messi hit the post again right at the death.
Lyon visit Troyes later before fifth-placed Rennes host Lille looking for an 11th consecutive home league win.
Messi hits winner as PSG come from behind to beat Toulouse
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Messi hits winner as PSG come from behind to beat Toulouse
- Messi then put PSG in front just before the hour mark with a glorious first-time strike
- It was Messi's 10th Ligue 1 goal of the season and his 15th for his club this campaign
Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah fall behind in title race as points dropped against Al-Fateh
- The Knights of the East move onto 44 points after 1-1 draw, six behind leaders Al-Hilal
- Julian Quiñones nets 18th goal of the season to move second in goal rankings
RIYADH: Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli will breathe a sigh of relief after Al-Fateh held Al-Qadsiah to a 1-1 draw at the culmination of Matchday 21 in the Saudi Pro League. Al-Qadsiah now sit three points adrift of Al-Ahli, five behind Al-Nassr and six behind Al-Hilal.
Al-Fateh, who continue to rise up the table after a difficult start to the season, entered the encounter with a set of changes made by José Manuel Gomes. Looking to counter Brendan Rodgers’ 5-3-2, the visitors set up in a similar formation, with Sofiane Bendebka operating higher up the pitch to press Julian Weigl.
The match began at a frantic pace, with two goals arriving in quick succession. Al-Qadsiah’s right flank has continued to be a target for opposition sides, with the space behind Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat exposing Jehad Thekri to repeated one-on-one situations.
Naif Masoud dribbled his way into the box before releasing Wesley Delgado down his left. The Cape Verde international squared for Matías Vargas, who finished with precision past Koen Casteels in the eighth minute.
Shortly after, Al-Qadsiah made their way back into the game. While Abu Al-Shamat’s marauding runs can leave space for opposition wingers, his attacking contributions remain a vital part of Al-Qadsiah’s play. A through ball from a tight angle found Julian Quiñones, who finished to equalize and make his 14th goal contribution in 10 games.
Despite the quick response, Al-Qadsiah struggled to find a way back into the game. Fernando Pacheco stood firm in Al-Fateh’s goal, making four saves on the night, as the hosts fired 19 attempts across the 90 minutes.
A final attempt for Al-Qadsiah came in the closing moments of the game, when Nacho found space inside the box, only for Al-Fateh’s defense to close him down and deny a clear shot at goal.
Brendan Rodgers remains unbeaten since taking charge at Al-Qadsiah, as the Northern Irishman led Al-Qadsiah to eight victories and three draws in his 11 matches at the helm. They face NEOM next in a bid to revitalize their title charge.
Elsewhere, surprise package of the season Al-Taawoun continued a difficult run of form, dropping points in a 1-1 draw to Al-Khaleej. Meanwhile, Al-Kholood completed the double over Al-Shabab, with Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa once again proving decisive by scoring a 78th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory.
The Saudi Pro League takes its first five-day break since the league’s return from hiatus in December, with Matchday 22 getting underway on Thursday. As the title race tightens, Al-Ahli travel to Riyadh to face Al-Shabab, while Al-Hilal host Al-Ettifaq on Friday. Al-Nassr conclude the round on Saturday as they make their way to Al-Hasa to face Al-Fateh.
