A pipe that cost him a hard kick, a fine assistance and new criticism: Messi’s game in the defeat of PSG

* Messi’s play that ended with a hard foul

The paris st germain suffered a slap in the face that could be vital for his aspirations in Ligue 1. In a duel without so much football flying, the Nice managed to win 1-0 with a goal with three minutes to go until the end of the game in the allianz riviera and was able to reduce the long distance to the top when there are just over ten days left for the end of the championship.

Without Kylian Mbappe –suspended due to accumulation of cards–, Mauricio Pochettino’s team opted for a trident made up of Leo Messi, Neymar and Angel Di Maria, although none could give freshness to the attack. The flea had little interference to break the process of the game and did not manage to demand the Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benitezwho closed another duel with a clean sheet and held a record in this tournament: Nice is the team with the fewest goals conceded, just 21.

One of Rosario’s outstanding plays occurred half an hour into the first half when he recovered a ball near his area, made a wall and tried to get out at full speed between two rival men. He dodged a grab, threw a pipe at Mario Lemina and the central midfielder himself kicked him hard to knock him down, which ended up giving him a yellow card.

* The subtle assistance to Icardi

In the complement he returned to leave another brushstroke of his quality when gave a long-distance pass-goal with three fingers who left Mauro Icardi in a position to define, but the Argentine striker – who replaced the noodle– could not accommodate and his shot ended in a corner.

To make matters worse, the local cast was able to take the three points thanks to a score by Andy Delort, who entered the complement when there were only a few minutes left for the end of regular time. PSG continues, however, as the leader of the tournament with 62 points but now Nice is their only shooting guard with 49 points –at least until tomorrow Olympique Marseille faces Monaco–.

The concern in France is centered on the fact that this performance, the 3rd loss in 27 Ligue 1 games, took place at four days of the revenge against Real Madrid for the round of 16 of the Champions League: on Wednesday they will play from 17 in the Santiago Bernabeu after PSG’s 1-0 victory in the Princes Park. “Each game is different, with a different context. Today will have nothing to do with the Champions on Wednesday. We will be ready, in conditions”, assured Pochettino.

However, the evaluations of the main newspapers of the country were not at all benevolent with the team and punctually with Messi. The newspaper The Parisienin the pen of the journalist Frédéric Gouaillard, scored the flea with a 4: “The Argentine tried to accelerate the Parisian game in sequences, but he lacked drive to complete his actions. His party has a flavor of unfinished business”. He was not the most criticized for this medium that oscillated with high scores of 6 (Keylor Navas, Verratti, Diallo and Marquinhos) and harshly punished Wijnaldum with a 2 and Di María with a 3, who was claimed that he had a “worrying” performance ”.

The L’Equipe he matched his pair and gave Leo a 4 highlighting some interesting moves. “There were some good sequences where he was driven by the desire to create danger by releasing the ball quickly. But in the end his contribution was neutral”. noodle it also received a 3 and shared the lowest rating with Wijnaldum.

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