PSG extends Ligue 1 lead as fans voice discontent

Paris St Germain extended its Ligue 1 lead to 15 points when it beat bottom side Girondins de Bordeaux 3-0 at home on Sunday, but its latest Champions League failure still loomed large at the Parc des Princes.

Published : Mar 13, 2022 20:56 IST

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as well as Leandro Paredes scored a goal each as PSG cruised to a 3-0 win at home against Bordeaux.
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as well as Leandro Paredes scored a goal each as PSG cruised to a 3-0 win at home against Bordeaux.
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Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as well as Leandro Paredes scored a goal each as PSG cruised to a 3-0 win at home against Bordeaux.

Paris St Germain extended its Ligue 1 lead to 15 points when it beat bottom side Girondins de Bordeaux 3-0 at home on Sunday, but its latest Champions League failure still loomed large at the Parc des Princes.

Kylian Mbappe, who was spared the boos of the fans, Neymar and Leandro Paredes found the back of the net to put PSG on 65 points from 28 games, four days after being knocked out of Europe's premier club competition by Real Madrid at the last-16 stage.

The PSG players were met by a cold reception from the crowd, with Neymar heavily booed as he took a free kick after the team's "ultra" fans had called for club president Nasser Al Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo to resign.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has come under fire after Wednesday's collapse, said he felt sad.

"Nobody likes this context, it made me sad. All those who love PSG, after the disappointment of Madrid, are sad. I feel sad for what I experienced today," he said.

Asked if Neymar and Lionel Messi, who appeared to be more targeted by the crowd than other players, were affected, he replied: "We were all affected. We understand the disappointment and frustration. We're all going through this together as a team. We have a responsibility to take responsibility for what happened."

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Centre back Presnel Kimpembe echoed the coach's point of view.

"We understand their disappointment and their hatred but we have to more forward to lift our heads up and win the Ligue 1 title," he said.

"We're all at fault, we're a team. It's time to show that we have character and stick together."

The result left Bordeaux on 22 points, four points from safety.

Keylor Navas was back in goal for PSG after Gianluigi Donnarumma's blunder cost it the first goal against Real, while Marco Verratti was suspended.

MBAPPE CHEERED

Only Mbappe, scorer of both goals in the 3-2 aggregate loss to Real, was cheered on by the fans, especially when he opened the scoring after 24 minutes.

Mbappe fired home from close range after Messi's through ball had been deflected into his path by Georginio Wijnaldum.

Messi's name was also booed by the crowd when the PA announcer read out the starting line-ups.

The crowd were still reeling from the disappointment of seeing their team knocked out of the Champions League after conceding three goals in 17 minutes against Real on Wednesday.

Hundreds of ultras left the Auteuil stand at halftime.

Neymar doubled the lead seven minutes into the second half as he tapped in from Achraf Hakimi's pass after the Moroccan collected another through ball from Messi.

The goal was met by a mixture of whistles and clapping by the Parc des Princes but the crowd celebrated properly when Paredes found the top corner from the penalty spot.

Bordeaux was unable to react and moved a step closer to relegation for the first time since 1991.

It has now conceded 68 goals - an average of almost 2.5 goals per game in Ligue 1 this season.

Third-placed Olympique de Marseille travels to Stade Brestois later on Sunday, looking to move level on points with second-placed Nice, which drew 0-0 at Montpellier on Saturday.

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