Paris Saint-Germain convincingly dealt with title competitor RC Lens on Saturday evening. Les Parisians after Salis Abdul Samed’s red card, they took a 3-0 lead before the break, after which Przemyslaw Frankowski set the final score at 3-1 after the break. The goals of the home team were all to be framed, but Kylian Mbappé’s assist in Lionel Messi’s 3-0 was particularly beautiful. Mbappé himself signed for the 1-0, making him PSG’s all-time top scorer in Ligue 1 with 139 goals. League-leader PSG increases the gap with number two Lens to nine points, so that the French title fight, with seven games to go, seems definitively decided.
Lens started the match full of bravado and that led to a great opportunity in the third minute. Samed was found uncovered and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to make an extreme intervention with a header towards the far corner. However, Lens’ offensive intentions could be put on hold, after Samed was sent off for a hard foul on Achraf Hakimi’s lower leg. PSG attacked more and that led to the 1-0 after half an hour.
There he is: MBAPPÉ ? He always pops up again, ???????????? ????????????´ and now Lens is also 1-0 behind with 1 man less… ??#ZiggoSport #Ligue1 #PSGRCL pic.twitter.com/SGrAv55iX2
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) April 15, 2023
Mbappé entered into a one-two with Messi, after which the former shot in via the inside post: 1-0. It turned out to be the start of a very productive phase for the Parisians. First of all, Vitinha made it 2-0 with a very nice long shot in the bottom right corner, after which the even better 3-0 followed. Messi was made to measure by a brilliant heel assist from Mbappé and sent the ball into the far corner.
BOOM! There is Vitinha ?? A delicious pegel and Paris Saint-Germain is 2-0 ??#ZiggoSport #Ligue1 #PSGRCL pic.twitter.com/MDOs2vsW0c
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) April 15, 2023
At the pace in the early stages of the second half, it became clear that the game could use a new impulse. Fabián Ruiz took care of that unintentionally, by making hands in his own sixteen. From eleven meters, Przemyslaw Frankowski sent Donnarumma to the wrong corner: 3-1. However, the Pole’s connection goal was not the start of a comeback. With one man less, the visitors mainly followed the ball.
What an AMAZING goal! ?? Messi shows Lens in an unparalleled way that there is nothing to be gained in Paris ??#ZiggoSport #Ligue1 #PSGRCL pic.twitter.com/iaQCr6IBOY
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) April 15, 2023
PSG continued to threaten and could have run to 4-1 via Mbappé, but his shot turned out to be too soft. On behalf of Lens, Frankowski had another shot at home, but his second goal of the evening was prevented by Donnarumma. His colleague on the other side, Brice Samba, prevented a hit from Hakimi, while Openda tried with a bicycle kick. The former Vitessenaar saw his attempt go over.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris Saint Germain | 31 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 72 |
| 2 | RC Lens | 31 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 26 | 63 |
| 3 | Olympic Marseille | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 61 |
| 4 | AS Monaco | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 58 |
| 5 | Stade Rennes | 31 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 53 |
| 6 | Lille OSC | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 52 |
| 7 | Olympic Lyon | 31 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 50 |
| 8 | Reims | 31 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 47 |
| 9 | OGC Nice | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| 10 | Lorient | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 45 |
| 11 | Clermont | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | -10 | 40 |
| 12 | Toulouse | 31 | 11 | 5 | 15 | -7 | 38 |
| 13 | Montpellier | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | -4 | 37 |
| 14 | Nantes | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | -10 | 31 |
| 15 | A. J. Auxerre | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | -24 | 29 |
| 16 | Stadium Brest | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | -14 | 28 |
| 17 | Strasbourg | 30 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -14 | 26 |
| 18 | Troyes AC | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | -26 | 21 |
| 19 | AC Ajaccio | 30 | 6 | 3 | 21 | -34 | 21 |
| 20 | Angers | 30 | 3 | 5 | 22 | -41 | 14 |