Saint-Etienne 1-3 PSG: 5 talking points as Lionel Messi wizardry guides Parisians to a comeback victory | Ligue 1 2021-22
PSG overcame a stubborn Saint-Etienne side 3-1 on the road in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
A double from Marquinhos on either side of a goal from Angel Di Maria helped the Parisians cancel out Denis Bouanga's first-half opener for the hosts.
To make things worse, Timothee Kolodziejczak was also sent off towards the end of the opening half for a foul on Kylian Mbappe.
Bad weather conditions during the second period made life difficult for both sides, with Neymar going off late on with a horrific-looking injury.
Lionel Messi was man-of-the-match with a hat-trick of assists as PSG tightened their grip at the top of the table with 40 points from 15 games.
Here are the five major talking points from the match:
#5 A high-octane opening half sets the stage alight
PSG and Saint-Etienne really went at each other in a pulsating opening stanza. The first half saw a goal disallowed, a red card, two goals and a huge miss to set the pulses racing.
Neymar thought he'd given the visitors an early lead but it was chalked off for offside. Then in the 23rd minute, Bouanga put Les Verts in front against the run of play.
A while later, tensions flared between the sides after Di Maria was stamped upon. The incident resulted in three players going into the book. Towards the end of the half, Kolodziejczak finally saw red.
The centre-back was sent off for bringing down Mbappe, although it seemed a bit harsh, and the resulting free-kick saw Messi assisting Marquinhos for the equalizer.
Just moments before the red card incident, Mbappe found himself on the receiving end of a pin-point cross in the six-yard area. Somehow, the Frenchman contrived to make a poor finish that the St-Etienne goalkeeper easily parried away.
#4 Kolodziejczak's red card a bit too harsh?
Speaking of the red card, was that harsh on Kolodziejczak? He brought down Mbappe with an ill-timed challenge but the contact was soft.
There's no disputing the foul, but whether or not the St-Etienne centre-back deserved to get sent off for that sparked a debate among Ligue 1 fans, who're polarized about this.
Kolodziejczak wasn't the last defender at the time and at best should've been shown a yellow. In contrast, Alpha Sissoko absolutely steamed into Neymar early on but escaped with a yellow!
Refereeing standards in Ligue 1 are known to be poor, and such questionable calls only serve to raise more concerns about the same.
#3 Neymar's bad luck with injuries continues
Neymar's time at PSG has been hit by injuries since his record-breaking switch from Barcelona in 2017. The Brazilian has missed roughly 100 games in all competitions for the French giants.
For context, he's played 130 games for the Parisians so far, which means Neymar has been sidelined for over 40% of their games. Now he's set to face an extended period on the sidelines again.
The 29-year-old twisted his ankle in a horrific injury during the match and had to be stretchered off. According to reports, he'll be out for six weeks, but it could be longer after further examinations.
#2 Messi magic eclipses Sergio Ramos debut
All eyes were on Sergio Ramos as the Spaniard finally made his long-awaited debut for PSG. But it was Lionel Messi who stole the thunder with his playmaking brilliance.
The GOAT was at heart of all three of their goals on the day, bagging a hat-trick of assists to inspire a comeback victory.
He laid an excellent free-kick for Marquinhos to head home the equalizer before making another cross for his second. But Messi's pass for Di Maria's strike was truly delightful and the best of the bunch.
The No.30 is the first Ligue 1 player this season to make three assists in a single league game, while this was also the fifth time in his career that he's recorded such a feat.
Messi hasn't had the best start to life in Paris since his sensational transfer from Barcelona in the summer, but performances like this will give PSG fans cause for optimism.
#1 PSG weren't at their dominant best
PSG eventually got what they had come to St-Etienne for, but Mauricio Pochettino wouldn't be too happy with their performance, especially in the opening stanza.
The visitors dominated possession like they almost always do, but didn't exactly make that dominance count, lacking the killer instinct to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Messi's creative brilliance stole the show but it won't eclipse how PSG struggled to break down a dogged home side, while Mbappe also missed a few good chances in the match.
It was a scrappy victory at the end with bad weather conditions in the second period further making their life difficult. But given the quality in the squad, the performances will surely improve.
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