February 06, (THEWILL) – Paris Saint-Germain defeated Lille 5-1 at Stade Pierre Mauroy, with Lionel Messi scoring his first Ligue 1 goal since November.
Messi’s deft finish ended the Argentine’s six-game drought in the tournament, with Danilo Pereira and Presnel Kimpembe both on target before Kylian Mbappe’s exquisite 20-yard strike closed out the scoring.
The Parisians’ 1-0 defeat to Lille in April last season proved vital in the title battle, with Lille finishing a point ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s club to be crowned champions.
The result from Sunday night keeps Lille in the middle of the standings this season, while PSG lead second-placed Marseille by 13 points at this point of the season and after matchday 23.
Goalkeeper Ivo Grbic misjudged a cross from the left whipped in by Nuno Mendes in the 10th minute, fumbling the ball and allowing Pereira to poke home to give the visitors the opener.
Lille snatched the game’s second goal and levelled the scores with Sven Botman beating Gianluigi Donnarumma through a bouncing shot from 10 yards after Hatem Ben Arfa wriggled into the area from the left wing.
However, PSG took the lead again in the 32nd minute, when Kimpembe pushed Messi’s right-wing corner in at the far post for the defender’s first league goal of the season.
Six minutes later, Messi scored after collecting the lose ball from an Mbappe charge, sprinting through a gap between Lille defenders, and cheekily chipping Gbric in typical Messi fashion.
Pereira’s 25-yard effort deflected off Amadou Onana and fooled Grbic for PSG’s fourth goal after 51 minutes.
There was little the goalie could do about Mbappe’s elegant finish seven minutes after the hour mark, as the France star stepped in from the left and curled the ball into the far-right corner for the visitors’ fifth goal.
Following Marseille’s win earlier this weekend, PSG’s lead at the top of Ligue 1 is now back to 13 points. This season, the Parisians are looking unbeatable in Ligue 1. Lille remains in eleventh place. They are only six points away from fourth place and a place in the Europa League, but they have fallen so far from last season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
