"Teammates were not on the same wavelength" - Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe receive poor ratings after PSG's shock defeat to Lorient 

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have received poor ratings following their team’s home defeat to Lorient on Sunday (April 20).

Christophe Galtier’s men fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Lorient at the Parc des Princes on matchday 33 of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season. Their sixth league loss of the campaign left them with only a five-point lead over second-placed Marseille atop the standings.

With Neymar ruled out with an ankle injury, Messi and Mbappe were handed the responsibility to lead PSG’s attack. Mbappe equalised for PSG in the 29th minute after Enzo Le Fee had fired the visitors in front in the 15th minute but looked rather toothless in the second 45. Messi, meanwhile, was isolated and neutralised by a spirited Lorient rearguard.

Following the game, Get French Football News gave the pair abysmal ratings, with Messi scoring four out of ten and Mbappe getting five. On Lionel Messi’s performance, they wrote:

“In every PSG match, the Argentine has very few chances to influence the match, given his isolated playmaker position – sometimes this leads to decisive performances, and other times, like tonight, the direction of the game meant he was unable to drag ten-man PSG to any result.”

About Kylian Mbappe, they added:

“Showed some good awareness to score the equaliser, making the most of some confusion in the Lorient box over a penalty shout. Managed some good runs forward as was clearly the most incisive of the home players, even if his teammates were not on the same wavelength.”

Les Parisiens ended the game with ten men after Achraf Hakimi saw a second yellow card for a challenge on Darline Yongwa in the 20th minute. The Moroccan will not be available for Galtier’s side’s trip to Troyes on May 7.

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PSG superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe’s disappointing numbers against Lorient

Lionel Messi has enjoyed a decent run in Ligue 1 this season, recording 15 goals and as many assists in 28 games. However, his recent form (since March) has hardly been inspiring. The Argentina icon has played eight Ligue 1 games, scoring thrice and claiming as many assists.

On Sunday, Lionel Messi only attempted one shot, which was blocked. He lost four of eight duels, delivered only one long ball and played just three passes into the final third. A section of the home fans jeered him for the lackluster showing.

His strike partner, Mbappe, scored in the 29th minute, capitalising on the confusion caused by a penalty shout. He nicked the ball off Lorient's keeper and fired home to restore parity.

While his anticipation for the goal was impressive, Mbappe should have done better when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper in the 11th minute. The Frenchman struggled to engineer space as Lorient goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo rushed off the line to smother his shot.

Mbappe attempted six shots on the night, with only two landing on target. He lost seven duels and played only a solitary pass into the final third.