Messi, Neymar, Mbappé all starts but 10-man PSG halted by late strikes from Daegon Reims
Categories: Sport
Messi, Neymar, Mbappé all starts but 10-man PSG halted by late strikes from Daegon Reims
Arsenal on-loan striker Folarin Balogun scored a remarkable 96th-minute equalizer as Reims held 10-man Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. It looked as though Neymar's strike at the start of the second half would be enough for PSG to take all three points, despite substitute Marco Verratti being sent off shortly after that goal.
But an impressive Reims side got the draw they richly deserved when Balogun broke through to fire home right at the death. The result sees the club coached by the 30-year-old Belgian-born Englishman still looking to extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches between league and cup.
They remain in mid-table but have now drawn with the Parisians twice this season, their collective strength allowing a team of hungry youngsters to hold their own against PSG's superstars.
PSG have now dropped points in three of their four league games in 2023, and while they are three points clear of Lens at the top of the table, their form took a hit with the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter Is. Bayern is a matter of concern. Munich is now a little over two weeks away.
"Overall clearly we can't be satisfied with our performance. Nothing to worry about but we need to get back to winning ways quickly and that's how we are playing as a team," he added. " "Need to play more."
"To concede a goal after 95 minutes with the number of experienced players we have – it hurts us in terms of points dropped but it's also very surprising."
Gaultier fielded Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar together in their starting line-up for the first time since the World Cup as PSG wore their fourth kit with the players' names in Mandarin to mark the Lunar New Year. get off