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Desperate to bounce back from their French Cup defeat, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) traveled to the home of defending Ligue 1 champions Lille on Sunday night.
Against the struggling champions, the Parisians turned on the style and cruised to a comfortable 1-5 win on matchday 23 of Ligue 1. The emphatic win saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to 13 points, putting them further out of anyone’s reach.
Despite struggling to get a foothold in the game, it was PSG who struck first in the 10th minute, courtesy of Ivo Grbic’s shoddy goalkeeping. The Croatian keeper failed to collect Nuno Mendes’ straightforward cross and the ball fell kindly to Danilo Pereira, who smartly converted from close range.
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The hosts bounced back with an equalizer just before the half-hour mark through Sven Botman. Unfortunately, they could not build on it.
Presnel Kimpembe and Lionel Messi added a couple before half-time, giving the Ligue 1 leaders a comfortable 1-3 lead. The routing continued into the second half as Pereira added another goal to his tally in the 51st minute. Finally, French superstar Kylian Mbappe joined the party, curling one home in the 67th minute to secure a massive 1-5 win for the visitors.
On that note, here are five PSG players who stood out in their exhilarating victory at Lille on Sunday night:
#5 Presnel Kimpembe
With Sergio Ramos ruled out with yet another calf injury, Presnel Kimpembe started alongside Marquinhos against Lille on Sunday. The Frenchman was surefooted against the reigning champions, never allowing their attackers a free pass.
He also pushed further up the pitch whenever an opportunity presented itself and was not afraid to take his chance.
In the 32nd minute, Messi’s impeccable corner delivery left the Lille keeper dumbfounded, finding Kimpembe in space. The centre-back attacked it with pace and put PSG in front.
Kimpembe also won all five of his duels, registered two clearances and blocked a shot.
#4 Marco Verratti
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti could not get on the scoresheet on Sunday night. But that did not stop him from absolutely bossing the show from midfield.
Every intelligent passage of play went through the Italian, who, once again, impressed everyone with his impeccable distribution and resistance to pressure.
The Italy international had 95 touches, 75 passes, made one key pass, and provided an assist to Kylian Mbappe.
The central midfielder also won nine duels, which is nothing short of astonishing against a midfield as dogged as Lille’s.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
PSG’s leading goalscorer this season, Kylian Mbappe, did not have the most explosive night against Lille. He looked a little off the pace for the most part, but continued to chip away at the opposition defense until he got his due.
Operating down the left-flank, Mbappe tried to use his pace to get past the Lille defenders. Unfortunately for him, the reigning Ligue 1 champions were prepared for his dashes and thwarted his advances more often than not.
As always, the Frenchman still found a way out, scoring an audacious goal in the 67th minute to rub salt in the home side’s wound.
Having received the ball from Verratti, the PSG forward took a couple of touches to set himself up and went for a curler.
Dispatched with pace and infused with finesse, his strike forced Ivo Grbic to concede his fifth goal of the night.
#2 Danilo Pereira
Danilo Pereira is one of the most conservative midfielders in PSG’s ranks right now. He rarely makes his way into the opposition box and is often burdened with defensive responsibilities.
Last night, Leandro Paredes took care of defensive chores, allowing Pereira to be a bit more adventurous. Scoring a rare brace against a capable team, the 30-year-old proved he has a lot more in his locker than it meets the eye.
The PSG midfielder's first goal came in the 10th minute, courtesy of Grbic’s horrific handling of Mendes’ cross. After the ball spilled, the midfielder demonstrated his agility to stab home from close range.
The Portuguese international's second goal was much easier on the eye and showed his impressive technique. He latched on to Paredes’ at the edge of the box and directed it home with poise. An extraordinary performance from the former Porto man.
#1 Lionel Messi
Much has been said about Lionel Messi’s dismal scoring rate in Ligue 1 this season. The PSG No.30 had scored only once heading into the clash against Lille and was desperate to find his shooting boots.
Fortunately for the visiting fans, not only did Messi find his boots, but he also showed why he has seven Ballons d’Or to his name.
Operating as a No.10, Messi casually occupied little pockets of space in the final third and made every Lille player’s life miserable. His dinking corner delivery in the 32nd minute was inch-perfect for Kimpembe and gave the home keeper no chance whatsoever.
The provider turned scorer six minutes later when he easily side-stepped a Lille tackle before dinking the ball effortlessly over the onrushing keeper Grbic. In first-half added time, Messi came agonizingly close to his second goal of the night.
From a free-kick in a favorable position, the 34-year-old went for goal only for the crossbar to get in its way.
Messi slowed down a little in the second half, but his first-half performance was enough to adjudge him as the Man of the Match.
