Football
Watch: Lionel Messi unleash his signature freekick to give Paris Saint Germain 1-0 lead against Nice
PSG went on to win the game 2-1 and continued their unbeaten streak in Ligue 1.
Paris Saint Germain (PSG) forward Lionel Messi continued his incredible run of form through the international break in the French Ligue 1 against Nice. The Argentine star scored one of his signature freekick to give his team a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute.
Messi was dribbling the ball past the Nice defence around the penalty box before he was brought down, resulting in a free kick. The seven-time Ballon D’or winner got to his mark and delivered a scintillating finish which curled the ball into the top corner beating keeper Kasper Schmeichel to make the score 1-0.
Watch the video here:
Messi freekick goal
They didn't deem him balon d'Or nomination worthy? pic.twitter.com/vygiOpDcnV
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With this set-piece goal, Messi has now scored five goals in the 2022-23 season in Ligue 1 which is one short of his goal tally from last year. The former Barcelona player also has dished out seven assists in the league. Nice striker Gaeton Laborde levelled the scoreline early on in the second half only for Kylian Mbappe to score the winner in the 83rd minute.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier was satisfied with the team’s performance but pointed out the defensive errors which led to the Nice goal. He said, “It’s always the case with this kind of match after the international breaks when many players have travelled and played a lot. We have a very busy schedule with very high objectives, and I decided to start with this eleven to bring freshness but also so that my players can really be a part of this squad. In the first half, there were some interesting things – even though we didn’t create many situations – but there were some interesting things.”
“And suddenly, at the beginning of the second half, we came in sluggish, without energy, without rhythm or intensity and we let Nice, who played a good match, have a monopoly on the game. And then we got into trouble by chasing the ball, by not winning our challenges, by not playing the ball out as we should have done. And deservedly, Nice equalised. We had to put in more energy, more speed and depth,” Galtier added.
