Highlights Lyon 0-1 PSG: Messi scores the winner from a Neymar assist as Paris Saint-Germain goes top of Ligue 1
PSG vs Lyon, Ligue 1 live: Welcome to the Sportstar’s live blog between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, being played at the Groupama Stadium in France.
Updated : Sep 19, 2022 02:49 IST
PSG’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal match between Lyon and Paris Saint Germain at Groupama stadium in Decines. | Photo Credit: AP
- Full Time! OL 0-1 PSG, Messi’s lone goal wins it for Paris Saint-Germain
- Messi’s free-kick hits the woodwork
- Messi denied his second goal by another good save by Lopes
- Anthony Lopes saves Neymar’s shot
- Lionel Messi scores from a Neymar assist to put PSG ahead
- 12:15 am: Kick Off
Welcome to Sportstar’s live blog between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, being played at the Groupama Stadium in France
This was Neeladri Bhattacharjee bringing you the minute-by-minute updates of this high-voltage clash. That was all for the night in this Ligue 1 match. Thanks for tuning in and take very good care of yourselves.
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Match Report: Lionel Messi scores from Neymar’s assist as PSG beats Lyon 1-0 in Ligue 1
Full Time! Lyon 0-1 PSG
90’ Messi’s free kick hits the woodwork!
A rash challenge by Mendes on Soler gives PSG a free kick and the Lyon defender is furious. The referee is not interested to listen at all and Messi steps up for the free kick.
78’ Another save by Lopes to deny Messi his second goal
Lyon attacks on the counter and Cherki carries the ball along the left, inside the box and Dembele heads it, which is saved by the midrib of Marquinhos and PSG, just about manages to deny Lyon an equaliser.
72’ What a chance! Neymar’s shot saved by Lopes
PSG has five men at the back now and is pressing high with the front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe as the white shirts get the ball back to Lopes
Hakimi gets the ball in attack along the right flank, crosses for Messi, who gives the ball away and eventually PSG gets the ball in its control again and Messi makes a run into the box with it, trying to pass to Mbappe. This pass is intercepted.
Lyon tries to attack on the counter, with three white shirts linking up and the fourth making running along the left, but the ball finally gets back in PSG’s control. Eventually the linesman raises the flag after the move ends.
63’ Change for PSG!
We are approaching the hour mark and PSG has clearly looked the better side. There have ben questions asked to the defence, often by Lacazette, but no goals have come off them so far.
57’ Substitution for PSG!
Chance! Lyon starts an attack along the left flank and Lacazette gets the ball in the box. He lands the ball to his feet, turns and shoots. But Danilo makes sure that the pressure forces him to choke as the shot, without any force is stopped by Donnarumma.
Neymar tries to get the ball to Messi, dribbling through three white shirts along the left flank, but he is pulled down for a PSG free kick, which is taken quickly.
Chance! Messi shoots an early shot on target and a goal-line clearance by Mendes saves Lyon from conceding a second goal from the Argentine.
Second Half begins!
Half-Time! OL 0-1 PSG; Messi’s goal keeps PSG ahead
Save! The corner, taken by Messi is punched put by Lopes and PSG starts another attack. This has been the course of play all along tonight. Mendes passes to Neymar, who curls the ball in with a right-footed shot which is saved by Lopes.
Mbappe gets the ball along the left flank, crosses to his right, but after a deflection ,Messi gets it and his shot is then cleared. Ramos gets the ball in the follow up and his shot is deflected out for a corner kick.
Neymar tries to get the ball in for an attack, but Lyon dispossesses him of the ball as the Brazilia goes down, appealing for a foul. Toko-Ekambi gets the ball in the left and crosses, but Mendes gets it out of a play, conceding a corner kick.
Messi and Neymar pair up to get the ball first around the box with a low pass as the latter gets the ball into the box. He tries to cross to Messi, but fails and Lyon manages to get the ball away.
Chance! Mbappe makes a menacing run along the left flank, shrugs off his marker and crosses for Messi, who was closing in, but the ball is intercepted by Lopes for a PSG corner.
Lyon is pressing PSG to force errors and almost succeeds with Lacazette sticking with Verratti and almost gets the ball before which, the Italian clears the ball away.
Lovely play by Lacazette! The former Arsenal man barges into the PSG box, beats three defenders and shoots on target. But Donnarumma makes a good save.
Shot! Tete gets the ball into the PSG half and the ball finally gets to Toko-Ekambi who tries a shot from distance. But the left-footed shot is way off target.
Messi surrounded by white shirts in front of the box and he still manages to clear the ball for Hakimi, but Lopes intercepts and clears the ball away.
After two counter attacks by Lyon, PSG looks to try and cool the intensity with an approach to build from the back with small passes.
Chance! Lyon is clawing back into the game and this time the host tries an attack from the set-piece. Tolisso gets the ball into the box with a beautiful aerial ball and Lacazette meets it with his head. But the header is just off-target
Ramos tries to build an attack and Lyon quickly exploits his forward run with a counter attack. Dembele gets the ball into the box, but the final shot by Lacazette is very poor as the ball flies off target.
Lyon tries to go on an attack form the midfield, but Galtier’s men, who have three blue shirts at the back, stop the attack as it begins orchestrating another attack on the other end.
Save! Messi’s cross to Danilo to Ruiz, who passes to Mbappe and he shoots. But Lopes makes an easy save as the Frenchman looks frustrated with his effort. He should have done better.
Hakimi gets the ball in the penalty box at the end of another PSG attack and Lyon dispossesses the Morocco full-back of the ball to end that attack and PSG regathers to build on another attack.
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6’ GOAL! Messi scores to put PSG ahead
Lyon enjoying fair bit of possession early on in the match as it sits back, trying to draw PSG ahead in order to attack in the counter.
Kick Off!
Starting Lineups out!
Lyon started this season with big ambitions but head into Sunday's meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in danger of being cut off from the Ligue 1 leader already, with doubts about coach Peter Bosz and with a planned takeover of the club still to be completed.
French champion seven years running at the start of this century, Lyon has since been eclipsed as Ligue 1's leading club by Qatar-owned PSG.
This year marks a decade since it last won a trophy, and it is not in Europe at all this season after coming eighth in the last campaign, its lowest finish in quarter of a century.
Despite that, Lyon kept faith in Dutch coach Bosz and there was plenty of optimism on the banks of the Rhone in the close season as they brought two local heroes, Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, back to the club.
Predicted Lineups
Both were sold in 2017, with Lacazette joining Arsenal and Tolisso moving to Bayern Munich, but they returned five years later as free agents and still at the peak of their careers.
Their arrivals mean OL retain a strong squad despite selling Brazil star Lucas Paqueta to West Ham United, and they started well enough, with four wins and a draw from their first five games.
Lacazette has four goals to his name already, but now back-to-back defeats have seen concerns about Bosz's ability to get the best out of a talented squad resurface.
The defence is a particular source of concern, despite the presence of two highly-rated youngsters in right-back Malo Gusto and centre-half Castello Lukeba.
Lyon lost 3-1 at Lorient before a 2-1 defeat in Monaco last weekend, meaning they sit six points behind leaders PSG and Marseille before entertaining the Parisians this weekend, and Bosz is under pressure.
"He is aware of the situation, because we are not going to wait until February or March, but we believe in him and his staff," Lyon's sporting director Vincent Ponsot told Le Progres.
"We expect a reaction against Paris after the last two matches, but it wouldn't be right to pass judgement after this game."
Meanwhile, Lyon remain confident the sale of the club to American businessman John Textor will still go through as planned, sources told AFP on Thursday.
Sports daily L'Equipe this week reported that Textor, who owns Brazilian club Botafogo and has a stake in Crystal Palace, was still searching for financing to complete the deal.
Textor, who is set to attend the PSG match, has until the end of September to finalise the purchase of a controlling stake for an estimated amount of over 600 million euros ($600m).
Key stats
- 100 - Neymar is in line to make his 100th Ligue 1 appearance with PSG, more than five years after arriving from Barcelona
- 16 - PSG is unbeaten in their last 16 Ligue 1 games. Only AC Milan (22) and Manchester City (18) are currently on longer unbeaten runs in Europe's big five leagues
- 16 - Marseille has lost 16 of its last 17 Champions League games
Fixtures (times GMT)
- Friday - Auxerre v Lorient (1900)
- Saturday - Montpellier v Strasbourg (1500), Lille v Toulouse (1900)
- Sunday - Reims v Monaco (1100), Brest v Ajaccio, Clermont v Troyes, Marseille v Rennes, Nice v Angers (all 1300), Nantes v Lens (1505), Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain (1845)