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French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) took on bitter rivals Marseille in this season’s first Le Classique in Ligue 1 on Sunday night (October 16). The close contest was ultimately decided by Neymar’s goal, with his strike earning the Parisians a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes on matchday 11.
With the win, the defending champions have moved three points clear (29 points) at the top of the table, extending their unbeaten Ligue 1 run to 11 games.
Playing in front of a packed stadium, Christophe Galtier’s men came charging out of the gates against Marseille, lodging their first attempt on target after just four minutes of play. Lionel Messi went for the bottom right corner with a low drive, drawing a good save out of Pau Lopez.
A minute later, Achraf Hakimi was handed a golden opportunity to score, with Kylian Mbappe pinging a great ball across to him. The right-back drew a great save out of Lopez. In the 19th minute, Mbappe went for goal himself with a fine strike, aiming for the bottom left corner. Lopez once again arrived on the scene to deny him.
Marseille gained some ground after enduring PSG’s onslaught in the opening quarter. However, they often fumbled in the final third, failing to make life difficult for Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Mbappe and Messi came close to breaking the deadlock in the 27th and 35th minutes, respectively. The Frenchman forced a good save out of Lopez before Messi saw his free kick clatter against the bar and come back into play. The stalemate was finally disrupted in first-half injury time, with Neymar firing home from close range to pick up his ninth Ligue 1 goal of the season.
Marseille continued to put bodies forward in the second half, but their efforts remained fruitless, with PSG comfortably seeing off their attempts. In the 72nd minute, the visitors’ hopes of a turnaround took a massive blow, with Samuel Gigot seeing a straight red for a horrendous and reckless tackle on Neymar.
PSG remained untroubled for the remainer of the second half, eventually cruising to a narrow victory over their bitter rivals. Here are five PSG players who stood out in the victory in Sunday’s Classique:
#5 Achraf Hakimi
PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi, who is widely lauded for his offensive acumen, was also mighty impressive at the back on Sunday. He tracked back, made crucial tackles, rarely lost possession, and held his ground in one-on-one situations.
The Morocco international made a whopping six tackles, won seven of 10 ground duels, and ceded possession on only four occasions against Marseille. He also made 33 accurate passes (91.7% accuracy), completed his only attempted dribble, and made a key pass.
#4 Gianluigi Donnarumma
PSG no. 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a confident performance against Marseille. His hands were steady, he rarely gave possession away, and made some good saves over the course of the match. The way he made himself big to smother Jonathan Clauss’ effort in the 52nd minute showcased the type of form he is in right now.
Against Marseille, Donnarumma made seven saves, with three of them coming from inside the box. He also delivered three accurate long balls, made a clearance, and punched the ball clear of harm’s way on one occasion.
#3 Lionel Messi
Having missed the matches against Reims and Benfica (both draws) due to calf injury, Lionel Messi returned to action against Marseille, and in style. He rattled the crossbar with his free kick, created openings, and switched play effortlessly, not allowing the opposition a moment’s respite.
On Sunday, Messi played three key passes, completed a dribble, accurately delivered three long balls, and won six ground duels. The Argentine maverick also drew three fouls and attempted two tackles at the Parc des Princes.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
Amid talk of his premature PSG exit, Kylian Mbappe produced another surefooted performance for his team on Sunday night. He used his pace to get behind Marseille’s defense, linked up superbly with Messi and Neymar, and popped up with a decisive assist.
In first-half added time, the Frenchman received the ball after Marco Verratti won it high up the pitch, saw that Neymar was in a better position, and played the defensive-cutting pass. The Brazilian made no mistake tucking it away. The assist marked Mbappe’s first of the 2022-23 season.
Mbappe also made five key passes (four big chances), successfully delivered his only attempted long ball, and played 29 accurate passes. His finishing, however, was off, with him lodging only two attempts on target (seven attempts total).
#1 Neymar
Arguably PSG’s standout performer of the season, Neymar once again produced the goods on Sunday, comfortably tucking away the winner two minutes into first-half added time. He was a joy to watch in full flow, beating defenders with ease with his neat touches and unpredictable movement. Thanks to his fancy feet, he was often unfairly punished by the defenders, emerging as the most fouled player (six) in the match.
On Sunday night, the Brazil skipper made three key passes, accurately delivered two long balls, won nine of 18 ground duels, and played 51 accurate passes with 86.4% accuracy.
