PSG’s Lionel Messi kicks the ball in the course of the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, southern France on Sunday, February 26, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Lionel Messi bought the opposite aim as the World Cup ultimate stars mixed to provide French league leader Paris Saint-Germain a 3-0 win at title challenger Marseille.
Mbappé tops the league’s scoring charts outright with 17 objectives, and he matched Edinson Cavani’s PSG club-record tally of 200 within the course of on Sunday.
What higher place to do it than at bitter rival Marseille, the place PSG misplaced within the French Cup earlier this month with out the injured Mbappé within the workforce? This time, PSG was with out the injured Neymar however did not miss the Brazil star.
A win would have moved second-place Marseille inside two factors of defending champion PSG. Instead, Marseille trails by eight factors with solely 13 rounds remaining.
Mbappé grew to become solely the second participant to attain a hat trick in a World Cup ultimate when France misplaced on penalty kicks to Argentina final December, with an inspirational Messi netting twice in an exciting ultimate.
This time they mixed on one another’s objectives to quieten a Stade Velodrome crowd filled with perception after the current cup win towards a PSG aspect reeling from 5 defeats in its 12 earlier video games.
But after Nuno Tavares missed an awesome probability for Marseille, an beautiful move from Messi close to the midway line despatched Mbappé sprinting via for a sometimes scientific end within the twenty fifth minute.
Four minutes later Mbappé discovered house down the left and picked out Messi — who saved PSG with an injury-time free kick in a 4-3 win towards Lille final weekend — for a close-range end.
Messi arrange Mbappé once more with a looping move within the fifty fifth, moments after veteran striker Alexis Sanchez missed an awesome probability to drag a aim again for Marseille.
The solely damaging for PSG on an emphatic evening was shedding central defender Presnel Kimpembe to damage within the 18th. He was stretchered off after falling unchallenged to the bottom and mendacity on his face for a number of moments, though the character of his damage was not instantly clear.
Defeat means Marseille is now solely two factors forward of third-place Monaco and fourth-place Lens, which each have 50 factors.
It may have been worse for Marseille had Monaco not misplaced 3-0 at house to Nice earlier Sunday within the Riviera derby.
Nigeria striker Terem Moffi scored twice within the first 25 minutes and midfielder Khéphren Thuram — son of France nice Lilian Thuram — added the third simply earlier than halftime as Nice climbed to seventh spot.
