After the first defeat of the season in the top game of Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain is longing for the return of world champion Lionel Messi.
“On the 3rd, so in 48 hours,” announced PSG coach Christophe Galtier after the champions’ 3-1 draw at pursuers RC Lens: “He’s a crucial player for us.” Galtier had given the 35-year-old Argentinian a few more days of vacation after his triumph in Qatar with the Albiceleste.
Neymar is also missing
Without Messi, but also without Neymar, who was not allowed to play because of an unnecessary yellow-red card in the poor 2-1 win against Racing Strasbourg, the lead in the table over Lens shrank to four points. “The victory is no wonder, it’s only logical,” commented the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe” on Monday.
The remaining storm superstar Kylian Mbappé had a frustrating evening and only received a few passes. The only PSG goal was scored by Hugo Ekitike in the eighth minute to make it 1-1. Former world champion Mbappé went away empty-handed. He made an effort, but also had little space, said Galtier.
All of this led to Bayern Munich’s first defeat of the Champions League round of 16 opponents this season. Most recently, PSG lost in the national championship on March 20 last year at AS Monaco (0: 3). “Le Monde” found that the defeat revealed weaknesses in defense. “It’s not so much the defeat that disappoints or annoys me as the way we conceded the goals,” said Galtier.
His colleague Franck Haise particularly enjoyed the not only prestigious victory against PSG: It was his 100th game as coach of Lens. The 51-year-old took the opportunity to personally sing the celebration song with the fans after the game.
League 1
