Ligue 1, 21/04/23
PSG have gone 11 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 standings, following their 2-1 win over bottom-placed Angers on Friday night. Les Parisiens sealed a third league win on the bounce and taken another step towards a record 11th league title. As for Angers, their Ligue 2 relegation may be mathematically confirmed as early as Sunday.
Despite an early scare, with Gianluigi Donnarumma denying Ibrahima Niane when through on goal, PSG took the lead in the first ten minutes. Lionel Messi chipped a brilliant curling ball for Juan Bernat to lay it to Kylian Mbappé, who scuffed his finish home. The Argentinian World Cup winner provided the goods again with a long-range through ball for Mbappé, who rounded past Angers goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni and made it two before the half-hour mark.
Messi almost got his goal as well, but Bernardoni showed strong hands to deflect his powerful effort. The visitors had fewer shots than Angers in the first half, but PSG were operating at a level of skill and ruthlessness well beyond their reach. Still, Les Parisiens seemed to play with the handbrake on in the second half.
Mbappé and Messi were the only PSG players looking remotely interested to pile even more misery on the hosts. The second half was then of little interest, with an Angers side struggling to find openings and a PSG side already in full game management mode. Mbappé woke Bernardoni up with a long-range effort, safely deflected over his crossbar.
Clinical in the first half, PSG were punished by their complacency and Angers pounced thanks to their substitutes. Abdallah Sima found Sada Thioub in the penalty box to halve the deficit minutes from time. PSG eventually held on to seal an unconvincing win against a team that have racked up 61 fewer points than them this season. The Christophe Galtier-led side now boast a 11-point lead on Marseille, who will travel to a resurgent Lyon side on Sunday. As for Angers, relegation is a matter of days away after their 24th loss in 32 Ligue 1 games.
Angers players ratings
Paul Bernardoni, 5
Abdoulaye Bamba, 4
Yan Valery, 4
Cédric Hountondji, 4
Ousmane Camara, 4
Justin-Noël Kalumba, 3
Batista Mendy, 5
Adrien Hunou, 3
Himad Abdelli, 4
Jean-Mattéo Bahoya, 6 – A daring performance for the 17-year-old’s first ever start in a Ligue 1 game, a prospect to keep an eye on.
Ibrahima Niane, 4
PSG players ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 5 – The Euro 2021 winner with Italy came to the fore in the first minutes to deny Niane an unlikely opener. Showed safe hands otherwise, with Angers’ strikers proving a minimal threat, until Thioub’s 87th-minute goal.
Achraf Hakimi, 6 – The Moroccan international enjoyed plenty of the ball and was a constant outlet on the right flank.
Sergio Ramos, 4
Marquinhos, 5
Danilo Pereira, 6 – A committed display, as ever, from the reliable Portugal international, plugging gaps in defense and midfield alike.
Juan Bernat, 5
Fabián Ruiz, 4
Vitinha, 5
Carlos Soler, 4 – He had little influence in his side’s play when going forward, and that’s not the first time from the former Valencia man. Unsurprisingly, he was the first PSG player to be replaced, by Marco Verratti.
Lionel Messi, 7 – He created both PSG goals out of thin air with his wand of a left-foot. A supreme playmaking performance in the first half. 15 goals and 15 assists for the soon-to-be free agent.
Kylian Mbappé, 7 – Two goals with his first two shots for the free-scoring forward, who tightens his grip on the Ligue 1 goal scoring leaderboard with 22 strikes.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
