Ajaccio vs PSG With a win against AC Ajaccio, champions Paris Saint-Germain gained a preliminary six-point lead in Ligue 1 Uber Eats thanks to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, who at moments were unstoppable.
Paris Saint-Germain defeats AC Ajaccio 3-2.
THE GAME
While Neymar Jr. and Sergio Ramos were absent due to suspension, PSG nonetheless fielded a quality XI at the Stade François Coty. Despite this, Ajaccio nevertheless managed to create the game’s opening opportunity when Mounam El Idrissy missed the goal of Gigio Donnarumma (5′).
After Bevic Moussiti-Oko diverted a free kick from Messi that was heading for the Ajaccio goal, Benjamin Leroy quickly reacted to make the save (13′). 21 seconds later, Vincent Marchetti hit the crossbar with a shot at the opposite end, and 24 seconds later, Messi set up Mbappé for his tenth goal of the season, giving PSG a 1-0 lead.
Soon after, when he was set up by Achraf Hakimi, Mbappé could have increased his and his team’s goal, but his finish let him down (35′), and it remained 1-0 at the interval.
Magic of Messi and Mbappé
Ajaccio vs PSG At the beginning of the second half, Messi dribbled a beautiful pass through for the advancing Juan Bernat, but the Spaniard’s touch fell short of the attempted assist, and Leroy was able to close the angle in time (48′).
The hosts managed to hold on as Renato Sanches forced a fine save from Leroy (50′). Soon after, Mbappé managed to go past Mohamed Youssouf but missed his shot (56′). When Youcef Belali fired, Donnarumma was forced to make a difficult save (71′).
But PSG quickly increased their lead. Messi received a backheel assist from Mbappé, who then sped by Leroy to make it 2-0 (79′). The score was subsequently finished by Mbappé, who switched positions with Messi and steered in from close range (82′).
Lionel Messi is the participant.
After a challenging first season with Paris, Messi is maturing like a great wine in France. This season, he has six goals and nine assists in Ligue 1, plundering at a pace of one per 63 minutes he has played. In 2022–23, Messi has the most assists of any player in any of the top five leagues in Europe, according to the UEFA coefficient.
THE NUMBER: 10
With 10 goals, Mbappé has surpassed PSG teammate Neymar and LOSC’s Jonathan David to become the league’s leading scorer. The Frenchman has won the title of Ligue 1’s best goal scorer in each of the last four seasons, and it wouldn’t be a fair bet to say that he won’t make it five in a row.