Winner in extremis (4-3) of an inspired Lille team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) avoid sinking into the crisis, but they lost Neymar to injury. At the end of a match of great intensity, the Parisians won on Sunday February 19, thanks to a feat by Lionel Messi, author of an unstoppable free kick in stoppage time.
Their success also owes a lot to Kylian Mbappé, author of a new XXL performance at the Parc des Princes. In the first period, the native of Bondy scored his 14e goal of the season following a superb little bridge, alone against five Lille players. At the 85e minute, Mbappé then doubled the bet, then snatching the equalizer, on a service from the Spaniard Juan Bernat.
This is number 198e goal for the striker’s PSG, which is only two lengths from Edinson Cavani’s record (200 goals). “We have shown that, even if we are not having a good day, even if the context is unfavorable, we are able to get out of it”summarized Kylian Mbappé at the microphone of Amazon Prime.
The Parisians absolutely had to win on Sunday so as not to sink into the crisis. Marseille, Monaco, Bayern Munich: the club suffered three defeats in a row before facing Lille. Since the takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), in 2011, PSG had never lost four times in a row. The pressure was therefore strong on the shoulders of coach Christophe Galtier and sports director Luis Campos, the pair who had led LOSC to the crown during the 2020-2021 season.
At the end of the meeting, Christophe Galtier did not hide his relief: “It’s the emotional elevator, he said at a press conference. It was a very important match for everyone. A victory was mandatory to restart a dynamic. (…) A coach who loses four times, especially at PSG, there could have been doubts. The only thing that is true is that I have the support of the sports management and my president. »
The 24e Neymar injury
PSG’s record is however tarnished by Neymar’s new injury. If the Brazilian star showed a clear revival of form in the first period, scoring a goal full of opportunism on a clever delivery from the Portuguese Vitinha, his body once again betrayed him on his return from the locker room. Following contact with Benjamin André near the central circle, his right ankle spun, the same one which had deprived him of several matches during the last World Cup.
Suffering from a sprain, the Brazilian left on a stretcher, in tears. Images that seem to repeat themselves identically since his arrival in Paris in 2017. It is indeed the 24e Brazilian injury in the colors of PSG. Will Neymar be reinstated for the return match against Bayern on March 8? Nothing is less sure. At the end of the day on Sunday, PSG published a medical statement indicating that Neymar, who had an MRI, does not suffer from any fractures. A ligament assessment will be carried out within the next two days.
This injury awakens bad memories on the Parisian side. Neymar has already missed several knockout stages of the Champions League, against Real Madrid in 2018, against Manchester United in 2019, and against FC Barcelona in 2021. In the first two cases, Paris had been eliminated.
This injury is all the more unwelcome as it comes at a time when the player is being criticized for his lifestyle. Before facing Lille, Christophe Galtier had tried to put an end to the controversy triggered during the week by the publication on social networks of photos of Neymar at a poker evening, then in a fast food restaurant, the day after the defeat against Bayern. . If he conceded that his outing to fast food was not “not a good idea”the Parisian coach defended his player at a press conference, believing that the Brazilian had “the right to play poker on a day off”.
Despite these reassuring statements, Neymar’s spleen seems deep. Brazil’s defeat to Croatia in the quarter-finals of the World Cup obviously left its mark. The day after this failure, Neymar declared himself “psychologically destroyed” on his Instagram account, adding: “It will hurt for a long time. »
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Since returning from Qatar, the player sometimes seems to wander the pitch. The future of the Brazilian, who extended his contract in July and is now linked to PSG until 2027, looks unclear. The episode of “fast-foodgate” occurred six days after the defeat in Monaco, after which a muscular altercation took place between Luis Campos and the Brazilians Neymar and Marquinos.
The defense is fragile
Forfeited on Sunday due to injury, the latter has also been going through a complicated period since his return from Qatar. Arrived at PSG at 19, Marquinos is nevertheless considered at the club as an exemplary captain. To bounce back, the Parisian team will need its ability to remobilize the troops in difficult times.
On Sunday, the PSG defense suffered in the face of the Lille assaults. Paris conceded three goals: an uncrossed header from Bafodé Diakité (21e), a penalty from Jonathan David (58e) after a push from Marco Verratti in the area, and a powerful strike from Jonathan Bamba (69e). PSG may also have lost a valuable defender for a few weeks with the injury of left-back Nuno Mendes.
After this success, Paris Saint-Germain are eight points ahead of Marseille, who face Toulouse on Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.). The Parisian club now has two league games ahead of it (Marseille and Nantes) to confirm its recovery before attempting to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on March 8 (0-1 defeat in the first leg).