Twitter explodes as PSG secure hard-fought 2-1 win against Lorient in Lionel Messi's injury absence

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) had to make do without Lionel Messi in their 2-1 win over Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

The Parisians started off on the attack, and were nearly gifted a goal early on in the 7th minute. It was Neymar who had the chance to secure the opener, but the former Barcelona forward didn't catch the ball properly, and it was easy for the goalkeeper to deny him.

However, Neymar was soon vindicated as the Brazilian superstar scored an impressive goal to put PSG ahead. The goal was arguably the hosts' fault as they failed to clear their lines properly. Lorient midfielder Bonke Innocent passed the ball back to his goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo, who failed to get the ball past the three Parisian players blocking his way.

Neymar caught the poor clearance, which fell for Hugo Ekitike. Although the youngster could have gone for the goal on his own, he decided to return the ball to the Samba star. Neymar dribbled past the keeper before putting it into the net, between two Lorient defenders.

There were other chances that came for PSG in the first half, as forward players like Kylian Mbappe had big chances to double the scoreline. Notably, they didn't have Lionel Messi on the pitch, as the Argentine playmaker might have provided an impressive assist or goal in a highly entertaining first half.

However, the Lorient goalkeeper recovered from his earlier gaffe and stood tall to keep out the visitors.

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PSG secure all three points without Lionel Messi

The Parisians won't be too pleased with their defending as they conceded a goal early in the second half. It was Terem Moffi who equalized after an impressive through-pass from Enzo Le Fee. Moffi almost picked up a second goal, but

However, PSG had no intentions of sitting back and picking up a single point. They might not have had Lionel Messi to spearhead the attack, but their defenders were on hand to score the winning goal and secure all three points.

An impressive in-swinging corner from Neymar met Danilo Pereira's head, and the defender thumped his header into the back of the net with a good effort. It was enough for the Parisians as they went home with the win, consolidating their seat at the top of Ligue 1.

Here is how Twitter reacted to PSG's win without Lionel Messi: