Last Updated: February 27, 2023, 13:23 IST
Lionel Messi netted his 700th in membership soccer, becoming a member of his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, within the listing of illustrious footballers to hit the mark. Ronaldo leads the tally with 706 objectives in 954 appearances.
Messi together with Kylian Mbappe impressed Paris St Germain to a 3-0 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille on Sunday to lengthen their Ligue 1 lead to eight factors.
Mbappe, who bagged a double, was arrange by Messi for each his objectives, and repaid the favour by laying on one other for the Argentine ahead as PSG, who had been with out the injured Neymar, moved to 60 factors from 25 video games with second-placed Marseille on 52.
France ahead Mbappe, who was on the shedding facet towards Messi’s Argentina within the World Cup closing, turned PSG’s joint report scorer with 200 objectives – degree with Edinson Cavani.
“We had been aggressive, we put depth into the sport, that’s what we’d been lacking,” stated PSG centre again Sergio Ramos.
Marseille coach Igor Tudor said he did not regret his side’s high-risk approach.
“Why should we have changed our way of playing? It has been working well this season,” he stated.
“Mbappe’s presence didn’t change something. His presence made it harder for us to play our recreation however we weren’t going to change it.”
Third-placed Monaco slumped to a 3-0 home defeat against Nice, who prevailed thanks to a Terem Moffi double and a superb half-volley by Khephren Thuram.
The result left Monaco on 50 points, ahead of fourth-placed RC Lens on goals scored after the northerners drew 1-1 at Montpellier on Saturday.
PSG, who were knocked out of the French Cup in the last 16 by Marseille earlier this month, ended a three-game losing streak in all competitions by beating Lille last weekend and they were focused throughout at the Velodrome.
They suffered an early injury blow when Presnel Kimpembe, who missed the World Cup for France with an Achilles issue, left the pitch on a stretcher, two weeks after making his comeback from a three-month layoff.
Matteo Guendouzi created danger as Marseille pressed high and hard but they were exposed on the counter and the hosts were punished in the 25th minute when Messi played Mbappe through for the France forward to race into the area and beat Pau Lopez with a low shot.
The roles were reversed four minutes later as Mbappe delivered a pin-point cross for Messi, who tapped in from point-blank range to double the advantage in front of an all-time Ligue 1 record attendance of 65,800.
Messi then missed a sitter and Mbappe was denied by Lopez after being found in the area by the Argentine again, just before Marquinhos’s angled shot went just wide as Marseille were again caught on the break.
Messi beautifully lifted the ball into the path of Mbappe, who volleyed home with his left foot for his 16th goal of the season in Ligue 1.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a spectacular save from Nuno Tavares’s header in the 67th to snuff out any hope of a Marseille comeback as PSG secured a first clean sheet in six league games.
PSG next face Nantes at home before travelling to Bayern Munich for their Champions League last-16 return leg after losing the first encounter 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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