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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Marseille 1-0 in Ligue 1 on Sunday, October 16. The visitors ended the game with 10 men as Samuel Gigot was shown a straight red for a rash tackle on Neymar.
The Parisians entered this contest on the back of three successive draws across competitions. They have scored just two goals in these games, with one of them being a goalless draw against Stade Reims. They were on top of the table with 26 points from 10 games prior to kick-off.
Christophe Galtier was without Sergio Ramos (suspension), Nuno Mendes (injury) and Presnel Kimpembe (injury) for the game. He fielded the strongest possible XI for this titanic clash.
As expected, PSG dominated proceedings in the opening exchanges. Marco Verratti, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha passed the ball around swiftly, allowing the team to move upfield. They created the majority of the chances in the first period as Mbappe saw a low shot saved sharply by Pau Lopez.
Messi came extremely close to handing PSG the lead midway through the half from a free-kick from close range. His dipping effort struck the underside of the crossbar, leaving the goalkeeper and defenders bewildered on the goal-line. Unfortunately, the ball bounced out.
PSG were rewarded for their persistence in a first half in which they attempted 12 shots with seven on target. They won the ball in midfield and it was played forward to Mbappe, who squared it into Neymar's path. The Brazilian hit it on the first touch and the ball nestled perfectly into the bottom-right corner off the post. The hosts went into the break leading 1-0.
Marseille looked eager to get on the scoresheet as they came out for the second half with a visible plan in play. Amine Harit and Alexis Sanchez dribbled the ball well and attempted shots at the first sight of goal. Matteo Guendouzi added a hard-tackling presence in midfield to prevent PSG from cutting through their defenses. Despite their valiant efforts, they were unable to score.
Gianluigi Donnarumma put in another top performance in goal as he made several saves to deny Marseille. He was awarded the player of the match award after the game.
Marseille tried to fight PSG with their physicality as the game went into a phase of poor tackles from the visitors to break down the hosts' attacks. Guendouzi, Nuno Tavares and Gigot led the charge with their tackling. However, Gigot went in too hard on Neymar and was sent off by the referee.
With the visitors down to 10 men, PSG controlled the tempo of the game and maintained possession in the final third. Galtier decided to bring Messi and Neymar off the pitch as they looked to see out the victory. Despite Marseille's efforts, they were unable to breach the hosts' defense.
That said, let's take a look at their player ratings from the game.
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 8/10
Donnarumma looked sharp in goal as he made important saves, displaying his reflexes and agility. He made three crucial stops in the first half and topped that with four saves in the second period to earn his clean sheet.
Marquinhos - 7/10
Marquinhos defended well for the most part but made the occasional error as he attempted an overhead kick to clear the ball. He played five accurate long balls and was booked for arguing.
Danilo Pereira - 6.5/10
Danilo made a good start to the game but was forced off with an injury in the 25th minute.
Achraf Hakimi - 7/10
Hakimi made a good start to the game and took up good positions in the opponent's half as PSG pressed high up the pitch. He won six of his nine ground duels, making six tackles in the process. He also played one key pass and one long ball.
Vitinha - 7/10
Vitinha completed 62 passes with 98% accuracy, including one key pass. He won two of his three duels and made two tackles, two clearances and one interception.
Marco Verratti - 7.5/10
Verratti looked sharp in midfield as he pulled the strings for PSG. He completed 63 passes with a 93% accuracy, including one key pass and two long balls. He won seven of his 10 duels and made three tackles and two interceptions.
Juan Bernat - 7/10
Bernat looked sharp on the left flank as he did both his attacking and defensive duties well. He won 10 of his 13 duels and made three clearances and four tackles in the process. He also played one key pass.
Fabian Ruiz - 7/10
Ruiz had a decent game in midfield. He completed 63 passes with 94% accuracy including one key pass and one long ball. He also won six of his 13 duels.
Lionel Messi - 7.5/10
Messi was at his creative best as he ran the show for PSG in the attacking third. His free-kick in the 34th minute smashed the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.
He attempted six shots, with three on target and the other three off target. He played three key passes, three long balls and one accurate cross. Messi also won six of his 14 duels.
Neymar - 8/10
Neymar made a good start to the game and was a threat in the offensive third. He scored in first-half stoppage time to make it 1-0 to PSG with a sublime finish.
He played three key passes and two long balls and scored with his only shot. He also won nine out of 18 duels.
Kylian Mbappe - 8/10
Mbappe looked sharp going forward and provided an assist for Neymar's goal on the cusp of half-time. He attempted seven shots but failed to score, hitting the target just twice. He played six key passes and created four big chances.
Substitutes
Nordi Mukiele - 6.5/10
Mukiele was brought on in the first period to replace the injured Danilo Pereira and had a decent game.
Pablo Sarabia & Carlos Soler - N/A
They came on as late-game substitutes and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
