Paris Saint-Germain vs Lille Highlights
Paris Saint-Germain vs Lille: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, left, looks on before the Champions League round of 16 match between PSG and Bayern, Lionel Messi reacts during the game. (AP)
Making a rare visit to the Parc des Princes, the emir of Qatar watched first hand as Paris Saint-Germain came up short on Europe’s biggest stage once again. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was in the stands as Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and the rest of an expensively assembled team lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, putting the club in danger of another early exit from the Champions League.
More than a decade of hiring and firing and splashing the cash has so far failed to deliver a coveted Champions League trophy for PSG’s Qatari owners. Amid reports that the oil and gas rich Gulf state is now planning a move for Manchester United, perhaps the emir’s patience with PSG could be close to running out. Despite all the superstar signings, a series of coaches have not managed to achieve PSG’s owners’ ultimate ambition.
When Christophe Galtier was hired last July he became the seventh coach since state-backed Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over the club in 2011.With its motto “Dream Bigger” splashed on the team bus, the owners had a clear ambition to make PSG one of Europe’s leading clubs. Yet PSG’s defeat to Bayern on Tuesday in the first leg of the round-of-16 in the Champions League was its third straight loss and fifth in 11 games, with Messi, Mbappe and Neymar all struggling for form since returning from the World Cup. Since playmaker Javier Pastore became PSG’s first marquee signing for 42 million euros ($45 million) in 2011, the club’s net expenditure has risen to more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). Despite this outlay, there’s been more humiliating exits than finals in Europe. Sporting director Leonardo — whose strong contacts with AC Milan made it possible to sign Ibrahimovic, Silva and European Championship-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma — was fired during his second spell. Yet problems have resurfaced under the new regime. PSG hadn’t lost three straight games since late 2011, and its five losses in 2023 are more than all of last year.
PSG vs Marseille Live Score Updates:
And that's it. The referee blows the whistle and courtesy of Messi, PSG has come away with a hard fought win!!! What a game of football we just witnessed!! See you all next time!!!
Aaaannnndd!!!! Who else!!! Lionel Messi has banged in his free kick!! The free kick has gone in off the upright!!! Magic!! Just magic!!
PSG 3-3 LOSC
Free kick taken quickly by PSG but Verratti's run is blocked by Andre's crunching challenge. lille can build again. And messi is brought down near the edge of the Lille box!!
PSG 3-3 LOSC
7 added minutes given due to that lengthy delay for Neymar's injury and Lille's penalty. PSG have got a second wind and Lille have to prepare for an onslaught in the closing stretches.
PSG 3-3 LOSC
And what do you know!!!! It had to be him!! Mbappe has equalized!! Bernat links up with Mbappe and his ball is tucked inside by the French superstar's outstretched leg!!! What a goal!!
PSG 3-3 LOSC
Lovely from Messi who gets inside the Lille box but he gets crowded out as the ball falls for Bernat who showacses a great close skill and shoots but it's saved. More like it for PSG.
PSG 2-3 LOSC
Swinging corner from Lille and Emery has the ball but the youngster runs it out of play. Lile are content to just keep possession as PSG look for a way through.
PSG 2-3 LOSC
Bamba is brought down and it's Kylian Mbappe now who gets his name taken. Things are not happening for PSG at the moment.
PSG 2-3 LOSC
Another attack by Lille as Bamba is straight through near the right flank and puts in a ball across and Cabella tries an acrobatic volley!! But finds only air.
PSG 2-3 LOSC
Aaanddddd Lille lead!!! This is incredible. From 2-1 down, Lille are now 3-2 up. A great through ball by Andre Gomes rips PSG's defence wide open and Bamba scores!!
PSG 2-3 LOSC
A yellow card for Lille's Bamba now who has been booked for showing dissent at the foul awarded to PSG. Free kick now. Taken short. Offside flag against Ekitike.
PSG 2-2 LOSC
David steps up as PSG's protests continue. And he just tucks in the spot kick as Donnarumma dives the other side. Nightmare start for PSG in this 2nd half. Lille are back level.
PSG 2-2 LOSC
Lille on the attack now and Weah's cross is met by Kimpembe who heads it out for a corner. It's curled in and that's a penalty for Lille!!! A foull by Verratti on Djalo.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Mbappe maraudes into the Lile box again, plays a one two with Verratti and his touch is not a good one as the Lille goalie can collect. Let off for the visitors.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Neymar is back on his feet but it looks like the PSG coach will take no chances as the Brazillian is struggling in the middle, walking pretty gingerly on that rolled ankle. The stretcher comes out and Neymar is in tears as he is applauded off the field. Ekitike will take his place.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
A foul on Neymar but referee plays advantage with the ball falling kindly to Messi. He tries a through ball for Mbappe but it's blocked and the referee has brought it back to the initial foul on Neymar who is receiving medical assistance in the middle.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Lille on the frontfoot once again as they capitalize on a mistake from Verratti but this time the PSG defenders were ready and clear the danger away.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
It's been a pretty engrossing first half with goals aplenty courtesy of Mbappe and Neymar as well as Lille's Diakite. Now, we start the second half. Will it be as engrossing as the first? We'll find out as PSG get the ball rolling for the last 45 mins.
3 mins added on now. Great ball by Messi to release Pembele. Lille concede a corner. Kimpembe rises above everyone but heads it wide. Neymar with a hopeful ball for Messi next but it's cleared. Peep peep. It's half time.
Nice passage of play for Lille. As Weah's ball finds David whose double shots are blocked by the veteran Sergio Ramos. Corner whipped in and the Kimpembe-Donnarumma combo saves the day. Nothing from the 2nd corner as PSG can break again.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
And that mistake does happen. Lille lose the ball in the midfield and Mbappe comes away with the ball, passes to Neymar who feeds it to Messi but his shot is blocked and Lille clear.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Monaco slowing the game down while PSG are waiting for the visitors to make any kind of mistake so that they can set the electric Mbappe off in the other direction for a lethal counterattack.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Lille near the PSG box now. Weah finds ex-Manchester United wonderkid Angel Gomes who shoots. But the ball balloons over the bar!!!
PSG 2-1 LOSC
PSG trying to find a way inside the Lille box. Verratti does well to find Mbappe, who feeds Bernat. Bernat plays it back to the Italian playmaker whose ball is over hit.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Another injury worry for PSG as Nuno Mendes has to walk back off the field. He'll be replaced by Bernat. Huge loss for PSG this one. Not just in this match but for the upcoming big matches.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
A tangle between Nuno Mendes and David. Lille want a penalty but the referee initially blows it off. But there's a check for a potential penalty. Looks like Mendes got his foot on the ball. No penalty.
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Short, snappy passing from the Lille players near the box of PSG. It ultimately yields a corner. And yes!!! Bamba feeds Andre Gomes and he floats a ball in the PSG penalty box and it's onto the head of Diakite who scores past Donnarumma. Comeback on!!
PSG 2-1 LOSC
Lille will not take this lying down though. Great ball towards David and he hits a bullet header towards the PSG goal but Donnarumma is up to the challenge. Fine, fine stop.
PSG 2-0 LOSC
And it's 2-0 already for the Parisans. All too easy for PSG at the moment. Nuno Mendes feeds Neymar, who lets it go and it falls to Vitinha whose shot is blocked. Neymar gets the follow up and scores!!!
PSG 2-0 LOSC
Lille, meanwhile have suffered a setback as their captain Jose Fonte is down and ultimately limps back to the dressing room. He'll be replaced by Leny Yoro
PSG 1-0 LOSC
And what a goal!!! That is why you have to play Kylian Mbappe. Squeezes through two Lille defenders and just shoots the ball inside the opposition net!!! What a beauty!!
PSG 1-0 LOSC
Ufff!!! Mistake by Kimpembe whose back header towards Donnarumma falls right at the feet of David whose chip attempt was parried over the bar by the goalie!! What was Kimpembe thinking there??
PSG 0-0 LOSC
Very well played by PSG and especially Neymar, who wriggles out of the corner near PSG and feeds Ramos but it ultimately ends up in the feet of an opponent.
PSG 0-0 LOSC
Lille with all the possession in the initial phases except for a brief burst by Kylian Mbappe after that Lille chance. But here they come again!! Mbappe with the ball again, feeds Neymar whose shot is blocked and falls kindly to Messi whose shot is saved.
PSG 0-0 LOSC
Lille in the attack straight away as a ball is played to Weah whose shot is blocked by Nuno Mendes and then Donnarumma!! Huge chance for Lille inside the first 40 secs.
PSG 0-0 LOSC
The players of both teams lineup in the tunnel. Smiles all around and Messi even met his former Barcelona colleague Andre Gomes, now plying his trade in Lille. And now, they come out to the field with loud ovation ringing throughout the stadium. The toss is done and the captains shake hands. PSG coach Christophe Galtier is back in his old stomping grounds. And Lille will kick us away!!
The players are done with their warmups and have headed back to their dressing room to pull on their official gear. We are just moments away from kick off. This promises to be a mouthwatering clash. Stay tuned!!
PSG: LLLWW
LOSC: WLWDL
The PSG players are out for warm up with their attacking trio front and centre. It's been a while since we have seen all three playing together from the start. Does not bode well for Lille if they start like a house on fire.
League leaders PSG have faced Lille 34 times in all competitions with the Parisans having the overwhelming majority of the spoils with 20 wins while Lille has won just 6 times.
PSG: Donnarumma; Pembele, Kimpembe, Ramos, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Verratti, Fabian Ruiz; Neymar; Messi, Mbappe
Lille: Chevalier; Diakite, Fonte, Djalo, Weah; Andre, Gomes; Bamba, Cabella, Angel Gomes; David
A proud club like PSG must be hurting from losing three games in a row, the first a french up defeat to Marseille, followed by a 3-1 thrashing by Monaco and then in the midweek to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Lille are the unfortunate opponents who find find themselves up against the wounded league leaders. They'll be hoping to withstand PSG's initial onslaught and hitting them on the counter
"The game at home to Lille comes five days after the Bayern game and the three consecutive defeats, and I'm hoping to have certain players back. In these tough times, we've got to entrench ourselves even further in our work. Lille are a very good team that has needed time to adjust after changing their manager, and for a certain amount of time now, they've had a well-established way of playing. They're a very dynamic, attacking team that always looks to play and to score goals. Given their current level, they're a team that will be in the fight for the European places. We need to win this weekend, and we've got more chances of winning if Kylian is on the pitch, so Kylian will play."
Lionel Messi’s future has been subject to plenty of speculation in the recent past, with his contract set to expire this season at Paris Saint-Germain, and little progress seen so far for an extension.
Amid the speculation, however, his father, Jorge Messi, who has also been serving as his agent throughout his career, has said that it is unlikely the former Barcelona legend moves back to the Nou Camp. [Read more]
While PSG remain five points clear at the top of the table despite their poor form, Lille ended last weekend in the European places having climbed above Stade Rennais FC into fifth, their highest position in the table since August. That is just reward for Les Dogues, who have been a joy to watch at times this season under Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca.
Lille arrive having lost just once in their last 10 league games, with that defeat coming against a rejuvenated OGC Nice. Their defence has been formidable in recent games and Fonseca has a variety of options in attack, not just 16-goal top scorer Jonathan David, who bagged a brace in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over RC Strasbourg Alsace.
Stills from the training session earlier looked promising as the trio of Mbappe, Neymar and Messi all looked in good shape. While Messi had felt a discomfort in his hamstring post the 2-1 defeat to Marseille, Mbappe had also not started against Bayern after picking up a similar injury. If it all PSG are to keep the dream of a possible treble alive, the three will have to be at their peak fitness.
The World Cup may have been a golden dream for Paris Saint Germain’s golden signing from summer 2021, one Lionel Messi, for PSG it has been anything but. Since the club football season resumption, the elite club in France have lost to RC Lens, Monaco and even Rennes in Ligue 1. In French Cup, they faced a damning 2-1 loss to Marseille.
More recently, in the Champions League, they were unable to get past the team that defeated them in the summit clash back in 2020, Bayern Munich. As PSG prepare to face Lille, the team that outsmarted the Parisians to league win back two seasons back, their distance with second placed Marseille remains only that of five points. Something of a crucial night following a bunch of defeats in the second half of the 2022/23 season. Stay tuned as we take you through this one.