Lionel Messi’s spectacular strike seals his first French Ligue 1 title
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Lionel Messi scored with a stunning strike and won his first club competition outside of Spain as PSG secured a record equaling tenth Ligue 1 title courtesy of an unconvincing draw against Lens in front of an audibly unimpressed Parc des Princes home crowd.
In Messi’s first season since his shock move to Paris from boyhood club Barcelona, the Argentina captain has helped the French giants regain the title they lost in the 2020-21 season. But PSG’s performance provided little worth partying over against dangerous but depleted opponents after center back Kevin Danson was sent off for Lens during the second half.
Neymar, who had returned to the starting XI alongside Messi, was arguably PSG’s greatest culprit in a wasteful first half, dragging a low shot wide when he was unmarked at close range after Kylian Mbappe and Messi worked the ball across the Lens penalty area.
Mbappe repeatedly blazed shots over the crossbar and Messi saw efforts blocked, while Seko Fofana and Jonathan Clauss went close for Lens as both sides had two shots on target before the break.
PSG fans made their dissatisfaction clear as the halftime whistle sounded, and their expectations and excitement levels only seemed to rise after Danso was dismissed shortly into the second half.
The Austria defender had fouled Neymar for both of his bookings, and Messi responded instantly with a violently-dipping free kick that veteran goalkeeper Jean-Louis Leca did well to beat behind.
Mbappe and Sergio Ramos both spurned chances as Lens initially held on, only for Messi to intervene ingeniously. PSG worked the ball to the Argentina captain from the left, locating him in a central position from which he fired an exquisite drive past Leca and into the right-hand corner of his net.
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Lens still posed a clear threat in the closing stages. Two substitutes were involved in their deserved 88th-minute equaliser. Deiver Machado sent in a low cross inside the penalty area on the left which Ignatius Ganago almost tapped in, rolling through for Corentin Jean to do the honours
Jean’s finish could prove precious for Lens as they seek European qualification. PSG will finish first and equal St. Etienne’s top-flight titles record, but they failed to dazzle on their way to sealing top spot this season regardless of second-placed Marseille’s result on Sunday. They had done enough, Messi’s magnificence outshining an underwhelming display.
Can PSG’s 2021-22 season be deemed a success?
The subdued atmosphere among the home crowd at the Parc des Princes said much about a PSG season that started with high expectations following the unexpected addition of Messi to a squad already containing Mbappe, Neymar and a cast of supporting stars capable of rivaling any squad in the world on paper.
Under the guidance of manager Mauricio Pochettino, who led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final, PSG had been tipped as strong contenders for Europe’s top club competition only to lose in dramatic fashion to Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
That result clearly rankles the fans who have jeered during recent home games, some of whom feel that Neymar and Messi, who have fewer than 20 goals between them during the campaign so far, have been among those to underperform.
Equalling St Etienne’s title tally is a famous achievement for Paris, but there can be no denying that the club with resources dwarfing every other team in France had been expected to steamroll the top division this time around. The drab manner of the display that won the crown will not have helped appease the many disgruntled supporters who made their feelings clear as they watched Lens earn a point and PSG celebrate.
Mbappe, Messi, Neymar, Pochettino: Who stays?
There had been suggestions that Kylian Mbappe’s situation would be resolved soon after the title was settled, with the Ligue 1 top scorer out of contract imminently and the subject of several bids from Madrid across the 2021-22 season.
Messi has frequently looked out of sorts in Ligue 1 and said he expects to one day return to Barcelona, where he spent his entire career before salary restrictions placed on Spanish clubs forced him to leave the Camp Nou in August 2021.
Neymar’s inconsistent season, interrupted by injury and a delayed start, was a microcosm of PSG’s season. And Pochettino has been under pressure ever since he was appointed in January 2021, with the Ligue 1 title the only silverware to his name this season.
The summer could be transitional for the club. Now that PSG’s season is effectively over, expect the drama in the transfer market and potentially off the pitch to ramp up.
PSG vs. Lens final score
1H 2H Final
PSG 0 1 1
Lens 0 1 1
PSG vs. Lens live updates and highlights
Full-time: PSG are Ligue 1 champions! This was far from a dazzling performance, although Messi’s outstanding goal to put them ahead was one of the best of the season. He has a first French title, PSG have their tenth equalling St Etienne’s record. Lens, though, will be much more satisfied with their work, rewarded by that slick, late Jean leveler.
92nd min.: Mbappe should have scored! Messi finds Neymar at the far post with a cross from the left, and the Brazilian, who has looked increasingly frustrated and has been booked since the Lens equaliser, nods the ball into the path of an onrushing Mbappe, who whacks his shot wide of the near post.
89th min.: That is a well-deserved equaliser for Lens. Two of their substitutes were involved, Deiver Machado sending in a low cross inside the penalty area on the left which Ignatius Ganago almost reached in front of goal.
As it was, Corentin Jean was free at the far post to fire a diagonal shot low into the unguarded net. That could be priceless for Lens in their quest for European football!
88th min.: Ten-man Lens equalise!
86th min.: Newly introduced Angel Di Maria is receiving attention after going down clutching his foot following a challenge inside the Lens penalty area.
81st min.: SUB Another substitution for PSG. They are closing in on the title in underwhelming fashion.
75th min.: Lens are appealing for a penalty after a superb challenge by Marquinhos inside the penalty area. Hakimi is replaced by Di Maria for PSG.
69th min.: That is one for the highlights reel, even by Messi’s stratospheric standards. PSG worked the ball to him from the left, finding the magician a fair way outside the penalty area in a central position.
Against this Lens defence, it needed a glorious strike to break the deadlock from there and Messi found one, blasting a near-unstoppable effort over and beyond Leca and into the far right-hand corner of the goalkeeper’s net. At last, the home crowd are off their feet!
68th min.: Messi scores a spectacular goal to make it PSG 1-0 Lens!
67th min.: Mbappe reaches the byline on the right and his cut-back cross finds Sergio Ramos free in front of goal, only for his teammate to send his shot well clear of the crossbar.
63rd min.: Mendes charges into the penalty area on the left, looks up and sees no one to pass to in the middle of the penalty area, leaving a shot thrashed into the near side-netting as his best option.
59th min.: Messi whips in the resulting free kick from outside the penalty area to the left of centre. The shot dips violently, and Leca does well to beat it out.
Expectations sound slightly heightened around the Parc des Princes now, although that wouldn’t take much, given the flat atmosphere around the stadium before the sending off.
57th min.: Lens are down to 10 men! Danso, one of their key players tonight, was booked in the first half for a foul on Neymar, and he repeats the transgression, earning his marching orders.
Danso has reason to feel frustrated as he took the ball with his challenge. Unfortunately for the defender, he also followed through and put in a painful tackle on Neymar, deserving of a yellow card.
53rd min.: Rapid-thinking by Paris, who catch Lens out with a quickly-taken free kick by Verratti that sends Mbappe clear inside the penalty area on the left.
Leca comes out to block the initial shot, then Wooh repels the effort at the near post as Mbappe attempts to clobber in the rebound on the volley. Good defending by Lens, although their slackness almost crafted their downfall there.
49th min.: Clauss causes PSG trouble down the right, winning a corner down the right that Lens cannot profit from. The home fans whistle and holler as their players come under pressure again.
46th min.: We’re off again! PSG start on the front foot, perhaps suggesting that Pochettino has urged them to right the wrongs of the first half during the next 45 minutes. Wooh fouls Neymar in the middle of the pitch.
Halftime: PSG 0, Lens 0
Those jeers are definitely ringing out at the break after an underwhelming first half for the team who could win the Ligue 1 title tonight.
Messi furrows his brow as he trudges off alongside his teammates. PSG have had 64 percent of the possession but as many shots on target as Lens: two.
The visitors will be greatly encouraged, and even a point would be a useful result for them tonight as they pursue the fifth-placed finish they need for a European campaign during the 2022-23 season.
43rd min.: Captain Fofana is leading by example for Lens tonight. RC threaten again, Fofana cutting inside from the left on the edge of the penalty area and rattling an arcing shot high and wide of the diving Navas’s far angle.
41st min.: Clauss has had an immense, assist-laden season for Lens, and he has a wonderful opportunity to test Navas from inside the penalty area on the right. His low strike, alas, is easy for the goalkeeper.
39th min.: Messi has found his passing range. He plays a couple of exquisite balls during an attack down the left, the second of which allows Mbappe to race into the penalty area.
It’s a familiar story for PSG once Mbappe bears down on goal, though: the finish is high over the angle.
37th min.: A PSG corner from their left comes to nothing. You could describe the atmosphere tonight as mixed; we’ve seen in recent weeks that the Paris fans still seem to be unimpressed with their squad’s efforts this season, perhaps still feeling frustration with their early Champions League exit.
A few jeers are definitely ringing out at times, and it hardly feels like a cauldron of excitement when PSG attack. There again, if those forays forward were more incisive, the cheers would inevitably follow.
35th min.: Messi shows his vision, almost releasing Hakimi clear on goal on the right. Leca, again, is out quickly to clear the danger. The goalkeeper has performed well without being greatly troubled so far.
33rd min.: End-to end entertainment: Mbappe glides through at breakneck speed, then hammers a shot over the crossbar from inside the penalty area. Kalimuena responds with a similar move in front of the PSG goal, but his low finish is easy for PSG’s Navas to gather. He should have given the goalkeeper more to do there.
31st min.: Messi goes close for the first time tonight! The Argentina captain finds space inside the penalty area on the left, and his cross-shot is pawed away by Leca. Tricky to tell whether that would have ended up in the far corner of the net; more certain that no PSG player Neymar being the prime candidate was in place on the left to tap in.
30th min.: Mbappe twists and turns outside the penalty area on the left, playing a pass back to Verratti, who hangs a cross wide of the target. Then Kimpembe tries a shot from outside the danger zone in a central area, and Danso blocks it away.
28th min.: Verratti gifts Lens possession in a dangerous area, and Navas has to use his agility and juggling skills to stop the resulting attack causing a corner. The seventh-placed side in Ligue 1 continue to pose a threat.
26th min.: Hakimi goes close! The right back shows his blistering pace to race clear on the right and enter the penalty area. His final touch on the run is perhaps a little heavy, giving him little choice but to shoot from a fairly acute angle, rather than cross for a teammate. Leca is out impressively quickly, diving at his feet to block the effort away.
24th min.: Neymar sends a shot wide from close range! Messi had the initial effort from the right of the penalty area, and the deflection fell to the centrally-located Mbappe, who had the awareness and speed of thought to flick possession to the Brazil striker at the far post, whose finish is, frankly, dismal.
23rd min.: Danso does excellently to thwart a rapid PSG attack down the hosts’ right side, deploying an expert tackle to see the ball out. Mbappe then almost finds space inside the penalty area with a delicate touch, but can’t get a clear sight of goal.
21st min.: Lens are spraying the ball around confidently, and a sequence of neat passes from their left outside the PSG penalty area provides Fofana with the chance to crash in a shot that looks like it’s heading for the target from a central position. Kimpembe shows fine timing and bravery to block the danger behind.
18th min.: The would-be champions have had almost 60 percent of the possession, but neither side has had a shot on target yet.
16th min.: Lens have another good chance! Kevin Danso is in the right place at the right time to meet a cross at Navas’s right-hand post, only managing to bounce a header wide before an offside flag is raised. More warning signs for PSG.
12th min.: Les Parisiens are toiling at the moment. A few opportunities have rolled harmlessly through to Lens goalkeeper Leca. The party is in previews at the moment, if there is going to be one tonight.
10th min.: PSG have a chance to swing a cross in from a free kick near the penalty area on the left. A foul is adjudged to have taken place as the delivery soars into the sky, and Lens are awarded a free kick. The hosts have not threatened significantly so far.
8th min.: That’s the closest either side has come so far! Fofana drives forward outside the penalty area on the left and fires a thunderous shot not far over the near angle of Navas’s goal.
5th min.: Lens have made a bright start here. They’re under no pressure and have European ambitions of their own to chase.
2nd min.: No prizes for guessing who has the first shot on target: Mbappe’s future is up in the air after PSG’s season ends, and the same can be said of this attempt from outside the penalty area on the left, sailing comfortably high of the crossbar. A show of intent.
1st min.: Lens start the action! They’re attacking from right to left in the first half tonight as they look to hold up PSG’s title party. Here we go!
15 mins to KO: The players are out.
30 mins to KO: The lineups are out and so are the teams. Will this be the matchday squad to restore PSG’s title following the frustration of the 2020-21 season?
45 mins to KO: Paris begin like this Messi and Neymar return in their top-tier attacking triumvirate.
1 hour to KO: Here’s how Lens line up as they seek a fourth successive league victory.
1 hour 15 mins to KO: Messi missed the win at Angers with an Achilles problem, while Neymar was suspended. Expect them both to return tonight.
1 hour 30 mins to KO: Lens are not to be underestimated: they won away at reigning champions Lille last time and have European football next season in their sights, starting three points shy of the fifth-placed finish required for that.
1 hour 45 mins to KO: PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino does not want his side to wait around. “Winning the title as soon as possible is the best possible outcome,” he said, having only seen the runaway leaders denied by a Marseille comeback win on Wednesday.
It wasn’t possible courtesy of the win against Angers, but we had a good game and took the three points. That’s the most important thing.
2 hours to KO: Welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage as PSG have their first chance of the season to win the Ligue 1 title it would be a record equalling 10th for the French giants against high-flying Lens, who have won their last three games.
PSG vs. Lens lineups
The major news for PSG is the potential return to the starting XI of Neymar he missed the Angers game through a ban and Messi, sidelined for that match by an Achilles tendon injury. Mauro Icardi ‘thigh’, Leandro Paredes ‘groin’, Ander Herrera ‘thigh’, Abdou Diallo ‘groin’, Layvin Kurzawa ‘calf’ and Julian Draxler ‘knee’ are all out.
PSG starting lineup ‘4-3-3’: Navas Gk Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Kimpembe Mendes Verratti, Gueye Messi, Neymar, Mbappe. Subs: Donnarumma, Bernat, Kehrer, Danilo, Wijnaldum, Herrera, Dina Ebimbe, Simons, Di María.
Gael Kakuta remains out with a knee problem for Lens, meaning Costa continues in midfield. Facundo Medina has a thigh strain, so prospect Christopher Wooh is deputising for him in defence.
Lens starting lineup ‘3-4-1-2’: Leca GK Gradit, Danso, Wooh Clauss, Doucoure, Fofana, Frankowski Pereira Sotoca, Kalimuena. Subs: Farinez GK, B. Pereira, Ganago, Machado, Kakuta, Said, Haidara, Cahuzac, Jean
How to watch PSG vs. Lens
UK USA Canada Australia
Date Sat, April 23 Sat, April 23 Sat, April 23 Sun, April 24
Time 20:00 BST 15:00 ET 15:00 ET 05:00 AEST
TV channel BT Sport 3 beIN Sports beIN Sports beIN Sports
Streaming BT Sport site/app fuboTV fuboTV Foxtel Go, Kayo
UK: In the UK, viewers can watch on BT Sport or via the BT Sport website or app. The broadcast begins at 7.30 p.m. BST.
USA & Canada: Ligue 1 matches are available on beIN Sports and streamed on beIN Sports Connect. The matches are also streamed on fuboTV, which is available to new users on a free trial.
Australia: Ligue 1 is also carried by beIN Sports in Australia, which can be streamed on several platforms including Foxtel Go and Kayo.
