Paris: Lionel Messi had one of his best games for Paris Saint-Germain as the runaway leaders profited from bad goalkeeping to win 5-1 at defending champion Lille and move 13 points clear in Ligue 1.
The first two goals were gifted while the third was well taken by the record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi in the 37th minute for only his second league goal since joining from Barcelona. Lille caused PSG problems but defended poorly.
PSG drew and lost to Lille last season without scoring a goal. Lille conceded only 23 goals during that victorious campaign, but standout goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s departure to AC Milan has proved costly and Lille has already allowed 35.
The difference was evident when Lille goalkeeper Ivo Grbic made an awful blunder in the 10th, spilling a routine cross from the left into the path of Danilo Pereira for a tap-in.
Former France winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who had an unhappy two-year spell at PSG from 2016-18, made a lively debut for Lille after joining the 10th club of his fluctuating career.
Lionel Messi has now scored a competitive goal in every calendar year since 2005.🤯
2022 1⃣
2021 4⃣3⃣
2020 2⃣5⃣
2019 5⃣2⃣
2018 5⃣1⃣
2017 5⃣4⃣
2016 5⃣9⃣
2015 5⃣2⃣
2014 5⃣8⃣
2013 4⃣5⃣
2012 9⃣1⃣
2011 5⃣9⃣
2010 6⃣0⃣
2009 4⃣1⃣
2008 2⃣2⃣
2007 3⃣1⃣
2006 1⃣2⃣
2005 3⃣📈 @GracenoteLive pic.twitter.com/a7YdxbqHKn
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) February 6, 2022
Central defender Sven Botman equalized in the 27th, turning in a cross following Ben Arfa’s superb run down the left. Ben Arfa showed great skill skating past Angel Di Maria, despite having little space, then flicking the ball while off-balance to the waiting Botman.
It was a belated reminder of the 34-year-old Ben Arfa’s exquisite yet perhaps wasted talent. Grbic then made another inexplicable error as he failed to move for a corner, clumsily letting it drift over him as center back Presnel Kimpembe scored from close range.
He was not at fault on PSG’s third goal, yet his defense was. It failed to clear the ball and allowed it to land at the feet of Messi. The Argentina star showed his trademark skill to dink it over Grbic.
Messi hit the crossbar with a free kick on the stroke of halftime. Pereira’s deflected strike fortuitously flew past Grbic in the 50th, but there was nothing lucky about Kylian Mbappe’s superb curler from 20 meters midway through the second half.
