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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) toiled and battled it out against Lyon in Ligue 1 and deservedly secured all three points courtesy of a 0-1 win on Sunday, September 18.
After a bright start to the season which saw them pick up four wins from their first five matches, Lyon had recently hit a blip in their recent games. They went into this game against the Parisians on the back of two consecutive Ligue 1 defeats in their last two games against Lorient and Monaco. It was important for them to put up a good fight against the reigning champions to get back in form and hopefully to winning ways.
Meanwhile, PSG, unsurprisingly, have lived up to the billing of being the powerhouse unit in the French top flight. Going into the game, they had won nine of their last 10 games across competitions and were looking to extend that record.
PSG's eagerness to extend their winning record culminated in Lionel Messi and Neymar exchanging a couple of passes outside Lyon's box in the opening five minutes of the game. The Brazilian squared the ball to the Argentine who met it with an elegant first-time effort that found the bottom corner.
The early goal jolted the hosts, which led to them creating more opportunities in threatening areas. Forwards Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso and Karl Toko Ekambi made attempts just after the half-hour mark, however, they did not bear fruit.
Kylian Mbappe tried his utmost best to find the back of the net in the first half but was denied every time either by a wayward finish or the heroics of Anthony Lopez. PSG could not breach the Lyon defense further in the first 45 and led them 1-0 at the break.
The second half saw Peter Bosz introduce teenage wonderkid Johann Lepenant into the game, which added some steel for Lyon in the middle of the park. Despite PSG starting the second half in the same fashion as the first, they could not score a goal this time around. The clearance of Messi's chip from Mendes' cross off the line by centre-back Castello Junior Lukeba two minutes into the restart was the closest they got in the early stages.
PSG dominated possession and had six attempts on goal (four being on target), but could not find a goal that would have sealed the game. The attacking trident of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe created chance after chance interchangibly, but it did not culminate in a goal. Frustration due to a lack of goals was compounded by an untimely injury to key player Marco Verratti, who suffered a knock and had to be substituted after the 64th minute.
Maxence Caqueret, Toko Ekambi and Lacazette came close at various intervals in the half to find Lyon's elusive equalizer. However, they could not defy PSG's sturdy defense, who have conceded a meager four goals this season in the league. The Parisians held on to earn a hard-fought victory, thus ending Lyon's eight-game home-winning streak and cementing their place at the summit of the Ligue 1 table.
On that note, let's look at how all the PSG players fared in the game. Below are their ratings:
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7.5/10
Donnarumma was tested a few times by Lyon in the first period and did well to prevent them from scoring. He made three key saves and distributed the ball with 86% accuracy. The Italian was booked in stoppage time for time wasting.
Sergio Ramos - 7.5/10
Ramos was strong in the tackle and positioned himself well to thwart Lyon's offense. He won seven of his nine duels, making three tackles and two clearances along the way.
Marquinhos 7.5/10
Marquinhos was the anchor in PSG's defense and did well to organize the width and depth of their line. He completed 84 passes with an astonishing accuracy of 99% making one clearance and blocking two shots. He also played two accurate long balls.
Danilo Pereira - 7.5/10
Pereira has done really well to adjust to the centre-back position and make it his own. He won three of his six duels, making two tackles and one interception. Pereira also played four accurate long balls.
Achraf Hakimi - 6.5/10
Hakimi was lively on the right flank but failed to get adequately involved in their build-up play.
Fabian Ruiz - 7/10
Ruiz was handed a start as Galtier looked to rotate his squad ahead of the international break. He passed the ball with 93% accuracy, including one key pass and two accurate long balls. He also won two of his five ground duels and saw his only shot blocked.
Marco Verratti - 7/10
Verratti looked composed on the ball but got himself booked in typical fashion by arguing with the referee. He has completed 88 passes with 96% accuracy, including two accurate long balls. He also won three of his five ground duels but was unfortunately injured and substituted in the 64th minute.
Nuno Mendes - 7/10
Mendes took up advanced positions high up the pitch but failed to make a significant impact in the first half. He had a decent game overall.
Lionel Messi - 8.5/10
Messi looked hungry to score as he gave PSG the lead inside five minutes. He nearly scored another minutes later but saw his shot saved by Lopes. He attempted a whopping seven shots, with five on target and the other two blocked. He also played two key passes, won eight ground duels, gave three accurate long balls and maintained a 92% passing accuracy.
Neymar - 8/10
Neymar continued in his rich vein of form as he created yet another goal for PSG, setting up Messi in the fifth minute. Neymar attempted three shots, with two of them on target. He also won seven of his 14 ground duels and played three key passes.
Kylian Mbappe - 7/10
Mbappe looked sharp and eager to make runs behind Lyon's defense. He attempted three shots but just one was on target. He played one key pass and won 10 of his 15 duels.
Substitutes
Vitinha - 6.5/10
Vitinha came on after 57 minutes to replace Fabian Ruiz and put in a decent performance winning three of his six duels and maintaining a 90% passing accuracy.
Nordi Mukiele - 6.5/10
Mukiele replaced the injured Verratti and had a good game.
Carlos Soler - N/A
He replaced Neymar for the dying embers of the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
