PSG wins big before fighting Bayern

Messi exploded in his first match after winning The Best 2022. The Argentine striker played the full 90 minutes, touched the ball 108 times, passed with 82% accuracy with two key passes, successfully dribbled eight times and finished seven times. times with four hits on target.

In the 12th minute, Nuno Mendes hit the Nantes player and changed direction to Messi's position. Despite being closely followed by center-back Nicolas Pallois, the 35-year-old striker was a beat faster to cushion the close to clear the deadlock. Messi scored five goals in his last five Ligue 1 appearances for his 799th career goal.

But after that, Messi squandered many opportunities and could not reach 800 goals. In the 20th minute, the Argentine striker hit the ball with his right foot outside the penalty area, not beyond the reach of goalkeeper Alban Lafont. 13 minutes later, he finished his forte left foot outside the box and went over the bar. In the second half, Messi once had a free-kick to the right and finished in the penalty area, failing to beat goalkeeper Nantes.

Mbappe also had a brilliant day. In the second minute, receiving the ball from Timothee Pembele, the French striker turned to eliminate central defender Nantes and then shot his left foot diagonally into the net. Thanks to that, Mbappe - at the age of 24 - became the top scorer for PSG with 201 goals in 247 matches, surpassing his former teammate Edinson Cavani - who has 200 goals in 301 matches.

Before that, in the 60th minute, Mbappe crossed from the right to Danilo Pereira to head across the corner to lower Lafont. PSG scored the other goal in the 17th minute, when Jaouen Hadjam countered in an attempt to stop Nordi Mukiele from finishing.

While the attack was still sublimated despite the absence of Neymar due to injury, the PSG defense continued to play loose when Kpene Ganago and Ludovic Blas conceded. The Paris capital club conceded 15 goals in Ligue 1 in 2023, the fifth highest number of all teams and the highest with a club in the top half of the rankings for the same period.

This is the problem that coach Christophe Galtier must solve before PSG march to Bayern's field to kick the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round on March 8. In the first leg at Parc des Princes, PSG lost 0-1 because of a goal from Kingsley Coman - a striker who played for the youth team and the first team of the club in the period 2004-2014.