Sublime Messi free kick earns PSG 4-3 win over Lille

PARIS, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Lionel Messi scored a stunning free kick in added time to earn Paris St Germain a 4-3 comeback win over Lille on Sunday and lift them eight points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.

PSG, who have struggled for consistency since their return from the World Cup break, extended their lead over second-placed Olympique de Marseille who travel to Toulouse later on Sunday.

Lille, who remain fifth, almost caught the hosts off guard within the opening 40 seconds when Timothy Weah’s low shot took a wicked deflection, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was down fast to save with his legs.

PSG quickly grew into the game after the early scare, with Messi hitting the target from a tight angle after being played through by Neymar.

Mbappe, making his first start after a two-week injury layoff, opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a brilliant piece of individual skill, ghosting past two opponents and squeezing a shot under keeper Lucas Chevalier.

“The match was not great, we made a lot of mistakes but we have shown that even when the context is not favourable, we can get through. We are a different team, we can get by all the time,” Mbappe told Prime Video.

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Christophe Galtier’s side doubled their lead six minutes later when Neymar tapped in a Vitinha cross to finish off a flowing move.

However, Lille were far from passive as Jonathan David tested Donnarumma with a bullet header before Bafode Diakite nodded home an Andre Gomes cross to pull one back in the 24th minute.

PSG suffered a blow early in the second half when forward Neymar was taken off on a stretcher with a suspected ankle injury.

Lille won a penalty after Marco Verratti tugged Tiago Djalo’s shirt and David coolly converted the spot-kick to level the scores.

Lille piled on the pressure and were rewarded when Gomes pinged a long ball into the feet of Jonathan Bamba, who smashed his effort past Donnarumma to give his side the lead.

The visitors let their intensity drop, however, and they were punished when Mbappe turned in Juan Bernat’s cross to make it 3-3.

Messi won a free kick five minutes into stoppage time and the Argentine curled it into the bottom corner to score his 11th league goal of the season and seal a dramatic victory for PSG.

“It was a crazy match, we quickly scored the first two goals then we relaxed and Lille came back but in the end we were able to raise our heads and win the match,” PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe told Prime Video.

Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond

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