Lionel Messi Bags Maiden Ligue 1 Goal as Psg Extend Lead at The Top

Lionel Messi Bags Maiden Ligue 1 Goal as Psg Extend Lead at The Top

SportsBrief.com, Edwin Lamptey
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:52 PM
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  • Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal as PSG saw off Nantes on Saturday
  • The Parisians went 13 points clear at the top of the table following their latest win
  • Mbappe opened the scoring for PSG, with Messi adding a third late in the game to ensure victory

Lionel Messi finally got off the martin the Ligue 1 with a trademark goal as Paris Saint Germain moved 13 points clear at the top of the table following a 3-1 win over Nantes.

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi opened his Ligue 1 account for PSG with a late goal. Photo by Xavier Laine.
Source: UGC

PSG finished the game with 10 men after goalkeeper Keylor Navas was shown a red card after 65 minutes.

The Parisians were off the mark as early as the second minute, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the fastest goal of his career so far.

Nantes would go on to equalise in the second half through a Randal Kolo Muani backheel before going behind once again via Dennis Appiah's freak own goal.

There was still time for PSG to stretch their lead and it came from their summer signing Messi, who curled in a powerful shot with his left foot with three minutes left to play.

Victory for PSG was the team’s 12th in 14 games and it solidified their lead at the top, and they look practically uncatchable at this point.

Messi was a nuisance throughout the match as he was started alongside Neymar, who also tested goalkeeper Albon Lafont with some brilliant efforts.

Neymar had to be sacrificed in the second half after it Keylor Navas was sent off, with Sergio Rico coming in between the sticks.

Messi reaction to first PSG goal

Taking to social media, Messi shared an image of himself celebrating his maiden Ligue 1 goal with the caption: “Another win to keep growing!”.

Prior to the Nantes clash, Messi already opened his goal account for PSG, albeit via the Champions League.

PSG will now set their sights on the Manchester City clash on Wednesday, November 24 as they look to secure a ticket to the knockout stages.

Barca claim first win in Xavi era

In Barcelona, Xavi began his reign with a narrow 1-0 win over Espanyol in the derby.

A Memphis Depay penalty in the 48th minute was enough for Barca to see off their City rivals and climb to sixth on the log.

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