Ligue 1: Messi’s injury-time equaliser helps PSG beat Lille in high-scoring thriller

Paris Saint-Germain star ahead Lionel Messi celebrates after efficiently scoring from a free kick to clinch a high-scoring thriller in opposition to Lille. AP

Paris: Lionel Messi scored a Ninety fifth-minute free-kick to present Paris Saint-Germain a 4-3 win over Lille in a rare Ligue 1 recreation on Sunday wherein Kylian Mbappe scored twice however Neymar was taken off on a stretcher with an obvious ankle harm.

Messi’s late winner got here after PSG had squandered a two-goal lead and fallen 3-2 behind, with Mbappe grabbing a late equaliser earlier than the Argentine’s gorgeous strike.

The consequence ends a run of three straight defeats for PSG and strikes them eight factors away from second-placed Marseille, who go to Toulouse later after which host the capital membership subsequent weekend.

“We got here by it. It wasn’t an incredible efficiency,” Mbappe advised broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“We made numerous errors and misplaced focus too usually and in opposition to a top quality aspect you pay dearly for that, however we confirmed that even when we aren’t at our greatest and the context isn’t precisely beneficial we’re a unique workforce with totally different gamers and we are able to at all times discover a method.”

Of speedy concern to the Parisians would be the harm to Neymar, who in tears as he was helped onto a stretcher early within the second half after turning his ankle.

The Brazilian’s health is now more likely to dominate headlines within the run-up to subsequent week’s Marseille showdown but additionally the second leg of PSG’s Champions League last-16 tie in opposition to Bayern Munich on 8 March.

Ankle harm

“‘Ney’ has sprained his ankle. We are going to see how severe it’s. We don’t know but — he’s present process exams for the time being,” stated PSG coach Christophe Galtier, who additionally noticed left-back Nuno Mendes come off within the first half with an ankle ligament harm that the coach insisted “doesn’t appear too severe.”

“I hope ‘Ney’ goes to come back again rapidly as a result of he is a crucial participant for us,” added Mbappe about his Brazilian teammate.

Galtier’s workforce have been seeking to bounce again from a 1-0 house loss to Bayern within the first leg of that European tie and so they went forward early on in opposition to Lille by Mbappe, making his first begin after coming back from a current thigh harm.

Neymar quickly made it 2-0 in opposition to a aspect PSG beat 7-1 of their final assembly in August, however Bafode Diakite pulled one again for fifth-placed Lille halfway by the primary half.

The house aspect then noticed Neymar carried off inside 5 minutes of the second half beginning, and Lille drew stage when Jonathan David transformed a penalty for his seventeenth purpose this season following a Marco Verratti foul within the field.

Jonathan Bamba made it 3-2 to the away aspect with an excellent end and the house aspect regarded set for a fourth successive loss earlier than Mbappe transformed from a Juan Bernat help with simply three minutes remaining.

That was his twenty seventh purpose this season in all competitions, but it surely was not the top of the drama as Messi received a free-kick when he was fouled simply exterior the world by Benjamin Andre.

The World Cup winner stepped as much as dispatch the useless ball into the web off the publish to spherical off a exceptional recreation.

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