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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar Jr. has allegedly forced his second yellow card in the Parisians' Ligue 1 fixture against Strasbourg to enjoy New Year's Day off by avoiding their subsequent encounter, as per Diario AS (via El Nacional).
PSG secured a 2-1 victory over Strasbourg on Wednesday (December 28), with Marquinhos opening the scoring for the French giants early in the first half. However, the Brazilian centre-back was also a source of misfortune. Adrien Thomasson's cross deflected off Marquinhos and found its way into the back of the net, resulting in an own goal.
The game seemed to be a stalemate until Kylian Mbappe grabbed the match-winner for PSG after converting a penalty in injury time.
During the second half, Neymar caught Thomasson in the face and was given a yellow card. Just a minute later, the Brazil international was in on goal but went down in the box claiming a penalty.
However, there was no contact and the referee booked him once again for diving, and Neymar was sent off. As a result, the Brazilian star is suspended and will miss PSG's next fixture against Lens on January 1, 2023.
Diario AS has accused the former Barcelona winger of intentionally going down in the box to receive a second yellow card. The Spanish outlet claimed that the forward did so in order to celebrate New Year's Eve and miss the Parisians' upcoming Ligue 1 clash.
This became Neymar's fifth red card since joining PSG in 2017 for a world-record fee of €222 million (via ESPN).
"I can understand that there is frustration" - Christophe Galtier defends Neymar after red card in PSG vs Strasbourg
PSG manager Christophe Galtier has come to his player's defense, stating that he understands why tensions boiled over in the fixture. He said after the game (via GOAL):
"I can understand that there is frustration and anger. I expected a difficult match. Strasbourg was able to prepare. There was a lot of impact. They are a team that plays well but gives off a lot of strength and power. I regret that sometimes the excess commitment was not sanctioned more severely on my players, which generated a little frustration for Neymar."
The French boss, while admitting that the Brazilian forward deserved a second yellow card for simulation, insisted that the first yellow was harsh. Galtier added:
"I can understand the simulation, I have reviewed the images and there is simulation. It deserves a yellow card. But I find that his first yellow is still very severe compared to the number of fouls suffered by Neymar, and not small fouls."
Following their victory over Strasbourg, the Parisians have retained their position as league leaders. They are seven points ahead of second-placed Lens, who they will lock horns with on New Year's Day.
