PARIS: Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Lionel Messi got the other goal as the World Cup final stars combined to give French league leader Paris Saint-Germain a 3-0 win at title challenger Marseille.
Mbappé tops the league’s scoring charts outright with 17 goals, and he matched Edinson Cavani’s PSG club-record tally of 200 in the process on Sunday.
What better place to do it than at bitter rival Marseille, where PSG lost in the French Cup earlier this month without the injured Mbappé in the team? This time, PSG was without the injured Neymar but didn’t miss the Brazil star.
A win would have moved second-place Marseille within two points of defending champion PSG. Instead, Marseille trails by eight points with only 13 rounds remaining.
“Everyone put in the right effort,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier said.
Galtier is from Marseille and played for the club as a gritty defender, which means some Marseille fans are simply unable to understand why he is coaching PSG.
Galtier had to be restrained after the final whistle as he went over to confront an irate Marseille fan leaning over and heckling him near the dugout.
Mbappé became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final when France lost on penalty kicks to Argentina last December, with an inspirational Messi netting twice in a thrilling final.
This time they combined on each other’s goals to quieten a Stade Velodrome crowd full of belief after the recent cup win against a PSG side reeling from five defeats in its 12 previous games.
But after Nuno Tavares missed a great chance for Marseille, an exquisite pass from Messi near the halfway line sent Mbappé sprinting through for a typically clinical finish in the 25th minute.
“He’s a player from another planet,” Marseille coach Igor Tudor said about Mbappé.
Four minutes later Mbappé found space down the left and picked out Messi — who saved PSG with an injury-time free kick in a 4-3 win against Lille last weekend — for a close-range finish.
Having scored his 12th league goal, Messi set up Mbappé again with a looping pass in the 55th, moments after veteran striker Alexis Sanchez missed a great chance to pull a goal back for Marseille.
The only negative for PSG on an emphatic night was losing central defender Presnel Kimpembe to injury in the 18th. He was stretchered off after falling unchallenged to the ground and lying on his face for several moments, although the nature of his injury was not immediately clear.
Defeat means Marseille is now only two points ahead of third-place Monaco and fourth-place Lens, which both have 50 points.
It could have been worse for Marseille had Monaco not lost 3-0 at home to Nice earlier Sunday in the Riviera derby.
Nigeria striker Terem Moffi scored twice in the first 25 minutes and midfielder Khéphren Thuram — son of France great Lilian Thuram — added the third just before halftime as Nice climbed to seventh spot.
OTHER MATCHES
Fifth-place Rennes won 1-0 at Nantes with a goal from Belgium winger Jérémy Doku, and Reims easily beat Toulouse 3-0 in a midtable scrap.
Relegation-threatened Auxerre won 1-0 at Lorient while fellow struggler Ajaccio enjoyed a 2-1 home win against 19th-place Troyes.
Also, Clermont drew 1-1 at home to Strasbourg.
Mbappé and Messi combine as leader PSG wins 3-0 at Marseille
https://arab.news/jvu29
Mbappé and Messi combine as leader PSG wins 3-0 at Marseille
- Mbappé tops the league’s scoring charts outright with 17 goals
Toney penalty leads Al-Ahli to victory in final moments of Saudi Pro League’s Matchday 15
- Al-Ahli defeat Al-Taawoun 2-1 thanks to Ivan Toney penalty in the 14th minute of injury time
- Al-Shabab end 11-game run without a win after comeback against NEOM
RIYADH: The battle for second place in the Saudi Pro League heated up on the final day of Matchday 15 when the Al-Inma Stadium played host to a tense encounter between Al-Ahli and Al-Taawoun. The hosts, boasting the best defence in the league, came up against a visiting side brimming with confidence after a stellar start to the season under the returning Péricles Chamusca at the helm.
Getting past Al-Taawoun would be no easy feat. The Qassim-based side came into the game well-prepared, with Al-Ahli failing to break past their compact block. The trio of Andrei Girotto, Waleed Al-Ahmed and Muteb Al-Mufarrij proved tough opposition for Ivan Toney in particular.
All signs pointed to a draw as the half-time whistle approached. Roger Martínez had different ideas in stoppage time, as he fended off Roger Ibañez to win the ball in the right channel, squared the ball to Ângelo Fulgini who was brought down by Merih Demiral for a penalty. Martínez coolly finished past Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, as the Wolves went into the break with the narrow lead.
Al-Ahli, backed by their passionate fans, entered the second half with renewed vigour. With Riyad Mahrez back in SPL action after Algeria’s elimination from AFCON, his creative prowess between the lines gave his side an added impetus.
It would be Wenderson Galeno who played an imperative role in their first goal. In the 62nd minute, he spotted Toney making a run in space behind the full-back, launching a cross that marginally escaped a clearance from Al-Mufarrij, as the Englishman delivered an accurate follow-up to Zakaria Hawsawi to head in the equaliser.
Both sides knew that a draw was not enough. Al-Taawoun would still move into second place with a point, albeit with all of Al-Nassr, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli breathing down their necks.
Al-Ahli, meanwhile, needed a win after Al-Qadsiah’s dominant display earlier in the evening. Despite numerous attempts, the score remained even.
In the 82nd minute, a dangerous challenge on Martínez by Ibañez saw the defender sent off for the second time in three games. After getting a yellow card earlier in the half, the referee showed no hesitation in giving him his marching orders.
Drama ensued in the final moments of the game when Demiral was brought down in the Al-Taawoun box. After a tense wait for the VAR review, referee Mohammed Hoish ultimately decided on a penalty in the 11th minute of stoppage time to the delight of the home fans.
Toney, as per usual, converted with confidence as Al-Ahli saw out a 2-1 victory to move level on points with Al-Taawoun and Al-Nassr in second place.
Elsewhere, Al-Qadsiah produced a perfect performance in their home game against Al-Fayha, winning 5-0, with Julián Quiñones bagging a hat-trick. Brendan Rodgers’ side now sit in fifth place with 30 points, just one behind the trio of Al-Taawoun, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli.
Meanwhile Al-Shabab, enduring one of their worst starts in the top flight to date, managed to win their first game since Matchday 2. Despite going 2-1 down to NEOM, a four-minute brace by Yannick Carrasco propelled them to a 3-2 victory.
Matchday 16 kicks off on Friday, as Al-Ittihad face Al-Ettifaq that evening, Al-Nassr welcome Al-Shabab on Saturday and Al-Hilal travel to NEOM on Sunday for the round’s headlining fixtures.
