Paris Saint-Germain; PSG defeated main rival Marseille 1-0 on Sunday to preserve their undefeated record this season and move three points clear of Ligue 1. Neymar scored the game’s sole goal.
In first-half stoppage time, the Brazilian completed a Kylian Mbappe assist to end a tightly contested game that included chances at both ends and a red card for Marseille defender Samuel Gigot.
In the 72nd minute, he was dismissed for scything down Neymar. Neymar’s dramatic response may have persuaded the referee to issue a red card rather than a yellow.
After three straight draws, two of which occurred against Benfica in the Champions League, and a week marred by fresh concerns regarding Mbappe’s future at the club, PSG is glad to be back on the winning track.
Lorient, the surprise package, sits three points behind PSG after the two teams drew 0-0 on Saturday.
With Marseille now in fourth after their second straight domestic loss, Lens are currently fifth, five points behind the leaders.
Despite this week’s claims that Mbappe wants to leave the Qatar-owned club as soon as possible, he lined up for the Parisians.
The star of France has yet to formally confirm or refute the rumors, which first arose in Spain before Tuesday’s match against Benfica and were subsequently reported by numerous French media outlets.
After missing the previous two games due to a slight injury, Lionel Messi made his return for Christophe Galtier’s team. The Argentine was incredibly unlucky not to score from a first-half free-kick.
His dead-ball attempt from a little over 20 meters after being fouled just outside the area hit the underside of the crossbar and deflected off the line.
Prior to that, Pau Lopez of Marseille made two outstanding stops to deny Mbappe, while PSG lost Danilo Pereira to injury early on.
Since Presnel Kimpembe was hurt and Sergio Ramos was absent, the Portugal midfielder has filled in at center defense.
Given that the World Cup is now less than one month away, both Pereira and PSG will be hoping that his injury is not catastrophic.
When they advanced, Marseille posed a threat as well, but two minutes into extra time at the end of the half, the home team took the lead.
Prior to Neymar setting up a first-time shot low into the corner for his tenth league goal of the season, Marco Verratti recovered possession high inside the Marseille half.
In the second half, Marseille, who had defeated Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League the previous week, was hampered by the loss of Gigot due to his lunge on Neymar.