“The 2 greatest footballers of this generation” – Twitter explodes as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe guide PSG to 4-2 win over Nantes

French football giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) showed their mettle with a hard-fought 4-2 win against Nantes, as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe provided an attacking masterclass.

Under the guidance of Christophe Galtier, PSG have extended their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to an impressive 11 points, a significant margin given their recent struggles in the league.

The hosts drew first blood in the 12th minute when Lionel Messi finished off a slick team move, linking up with Sergio Ramos in midfield before receiving a deflected cross from Nuno Mendes.

Just a few minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead thanks to Jaouen Hadjam's own goal as he deflected Nordi Mukiele's effort into his own net. Nantes pulled one back against the run of play in the 30th minute as Ludovic Blas found the back of the net after skipping past Vitinha and Mukiele on the right touchline.

Messi almost restored the PSG's two-goal advantage with a snap-shot from the edge of the box that sailed just over the crossbar, before goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a costly mistake, spilling a shot from Florent Mollet, but Marquinhos cleared the danger just in time.

From the ensuing corner, Nantes equalized when Ignatius Ganago flicked Mollet's delivery into the net at the near post, with the help of Jean-Charles Castelletto.

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PSG require an impressive second-half effort to secure the win over Nantes, as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe shine

PSG were presented with an excellent opportunity to regain their lead shortly after halftime. However, Mukiele stumbled and played an errant pass behind Kylian Mbappe, despite having the option to shoot or pass to his teammate.

Nonetheless, the home team found themselves in the lead once again in the 60th minute, as Danilo Pereira nodded in a cross from Mbappe after Nantes cleared a corner. Lionel Messi had two efforts from free-kicks, but the Argentine playmaker could not get them past goalkeeper Alban Lafont.

Mbappe, who was on the cusp of breaking PSG's all-time scoring record, missed the opportunity to do so when his 25-yard shot narrowly missed the mark. In addition, Lafont's quick reflexes prevented Warren Zaire-Emery from scoring late on.

Substitute Timothee Pembele came on in stoppage time and provided a magnificent assist to Kylian Mbappe, who turned and fired the ball into the back of the net. This goal enabled him to surpass Edinson Cavani as the club's all-time leading scorer.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the win as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe provided important goals for the Ligue 1 giants: