Messi’s name was greeted with whistling in one section of the stadium as the squad lineups were revealed over the loudspeaker. However, supporters nearby yelled “Messi” in return.
As their World Cup-winning superstar Lionel Messi was booed by some fans, Paris Saint-Germain lost at home for the second time in a succession on Sunday, falling to Lyon 1-0. Bradley Barcola of Lyon caused the most recent defeat for PSG at the Parc des Princes, following a 2-0 home loss to Rennes two weeks prior. The strike by Barcola, who had replaced the injured Amin Sarr, made up for the first-half penalty that Alexandre Lacazette missed. With only six points separating Christophe Galtier’s team from second-placed Lens and third-placed Marseille, it is the Parisians’ fifth Ligue 1 defeat of the year, all of them coming in 2023.
The evening got off to a contentious start. Messi’s name was greeted with whistling in one section of the stadium as the squad lineups were revealed over the loudspeaker. However, supporters nearby yelled “Messi” in return.
Messi’s two-year deal with the Paris side is about to expire at the age of 35. He has been connected with a return to Barcelona, but negotiations on a potential renewal have already started. The veteran has appeared in 67 games for PSG in two seasons, including Sunday’s game against ninth-place Lyon, and has scored 29 goals. Galtier said, “The whistles, I find that challenging. Leo is an athlete who sacrifices a lot and has done so ever since the season began. “Leo is able to deliver the right ball, provide an assist, and score a goal with a stroke of genius,” he continued. I never once considered removing him.
Danilo, a midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, admitted that the team had entered “a difficult phase” and needed to find a way out because their competitors were closing in. “We must become awake. There are still many matches to be played, so the championship is not at all guaranteed, he said on Prime Video. It’s not up to me to specify what needs to change; there are many other factors as well, besides mindset. Neymar is still recuperating from ankle surgery, and PSG’s defence has been completely destroyed by injuries. El Chadaille Bitshiabu, a 17-year-old centre back who was called up by PSG on Sunday, struggled with his nerves and lost possession of the ball too frequently.
In contrast to his recent performances against Strasbourg and Brest, Kylian Mbappe was unable to replicate his late-game scoring feats. Galtier said, “We can’t expect Leo and Kylian to be perfect. We’ve lost eight times already in 2023; that’s way too many. PSG’s next match is away at Nice, who haven’t lost since January 2, before a vital home match against second-place Lens. Lens will be hoping to deal more damage to their Qatar-owned opponents, whose season is on the verge of collapse following losses to Marseille in the French Cup and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
‘Two faces of Monaco’ –
Monaco defeated mediocre Strasbourg 4-3 at home to keep up their fight for a Champions League place. Despite gaining the lead through Vanderson in the 18th minute, Monaco trailed 2-1 at the break. Strasbourg won thanks to goals from Lebo Mothiba and Chilean defence Guillermo Maripan. Then, in the second half, Youssouf Fofana, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Edan Diop—all three only 18 years old—scored three goals in a span of 11 minutes to give Monaco a 4-2 advantage.
The stoppage-time walkout by Habib Diallo was merely Strasbourg’s solace. Monaco is only three points behind third-placed Marseille, which was held to a 1-1 stalemate by Montpellier on Friday, with 57 points. We saw two sides of Monaco tonight, Philippe Clement, the coach of Monaco, said. “We got off to a strong start, and we held up for 25 minutes. But after that, Strasbourg came back and struck twice as the aggression subsided. I was furious at the break. I failed to identify my group.
