Without Lionel Messi and the suspended Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain have suffered their first defeat of the season in Ligue 1. In the top game of the French championship, the table leaders lost 1:3 (1:2) to pursuers RC Lens on Sunday. The hosts’ 1-0 lead through Przemyslaw Frankowski (5th minute) was equalized by Hugo Ekitiké just three minutes later. But Loïs Openda (28′) and Alexis Claude-Maurice (47′) immediately after the break sealed PSG’s first loss of the season.
After the final whistle, coach Christophe Galtier appealed to the players who should replace Messi and Neymar: “There are no excuses that we lost because we had some absentees. Because we will have a second half of the season with many games in which there will be form errors, injuries and suspensions. We really have to get better, even if we have failures,” said the 56-year-old (quoted via “L’Equipe”).
Messi was still on vacation after winning the world title. The Brazilian Neymar was shown a yellow-red after a swallow in a flattering 2-1 win against the relegation-threatened Racing Strasburg and was suspended for the top game. The surprise team from Lens are only four points behind after beating Paris in second place.
PSG dominates: The most valuable players in Ligue 1
18 Mattéo Guendouzi | Marseilles | Market value: €25 million
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