A superb Lionel Messi aim helped Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 residence win over Lens on Saturday to certainly finish any doubt concerning the consequence of this season’s Ligue 1 title race, after an early sending-off left the guests with a mountain to climb.
Lens, who started the day six factors behind league leaders PSG in second place, appeared the higher workforce till Ghana midfielder Salis Abdul Samed was dismissed for a harmful problem on Achraf Hakimi within the nineteenth minute.
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That modified every part, and by half-time the hosts had been out of sight thanks to 3 objectives within the house of 10 minutes from Kylian Mbappe, Vitinha and then Messi, with Przemyslaw Frankowski pulling one again for Lens from a penalty.
Mbappe opened the scoring and Vitinha’s long-ranger doubled PSG’s lead within the thirty seventh minute.
Both objectives had been good however Messi’s that made it 3-0 was beautiful, the Argentine discovering a pocket out of house exterior the realm, feeding a cross to Mbappe and then receiving the France striker’s backheel return earlier than slotting past goalkeeper Brice Samba and into the far nook.
The consequence leaves the reigning champions 9 factors forward with seven video games left, which means it’s certainly only a matter of time till PSG safe a French report eleventh league title.
“We should not suppose that it’s executed and dusted,” said coach Christophe Galtier.
“We will need to remain serious and determined to maintain our lead and not give any hope to the teams chasing us.”
The win comes on the finish of per week overshadowed by allegations of racism towards Galtier, who had already been below stress since PSG’s elimination from the Champions League final month.
Galtier stated on Friday that he was “deeply shocked” by accusations that he made racist and Islamophobic remarks about Nice players when he was in charge there last season.
The allegations surfaced in an email apparently sent by former Nice sporting director Julien Fournier and which have been reported by various French media. AFP has not been able to verify the message.
The affair looks set to hang over the coach and the club in the coming weeks.
“I was very determined and focused on the match, like my players,” Galtier stated of attempting to remain focused on the sport.
“It was clearly an necessary match, if not decisive, and so it was necessary to get the consequence and get pleasure from it.”
Lens were hoping to take advantage of the leaders’ problems and extend a four-match winning run that had got the northern club’s supporters dreaming of a first league title since 1998.
They triumphed 3-1 when the teams last met in Lens on January 1 and they started the better of the two sides at the Parc des Princes.
Yet their enterprising opening didn’t carry a aim and they had been severely handicapped when Abdul Samed noticed pink for catching Hakimi together with his studs above the ankle.
They were then torn apart with Mbappe firing in off the post on the turn from Vitinha’s pass for his 20th league goal this season.
Vitinha then smashed in his first goal in a PSG shirt before Messi took centre stage.
The Argentine’s 20th club goal of the campaign was also arguably his finest in two years in a PSG shirt, just as he comes towards what may be the end of his time in France.
Lens regrouped in the second half and pulled a goal back when Frankowski converted from the spot after a Fabian Ruiz handball.
Lois Openda remained a menace up front for Lens but they were left with too much to do to and will now focus on trying to hold onto a place in the top three and Champions League qualification.
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“I would have liked us to close the gap tonight but even had we done that it would have been very difficult,” admitted Lens supervisor Franck Haise.
“Of course the title is for Paris. There will not be a lot doubt about that.”
Marseille can move above Lens into second, and trim PSG’s lead to eight points, with a win against Troyes on Sunday.
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