Lionel Messi and Achraf Hakimi both scored superb goals as Paris Saint-Germain ended Toulouse's unbeaten start to 2023 with a 2-1 home win on Saturday that takes them eight points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table.
THE MATCH
PSG were without the injured Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Sergio Ramos and Presnel Kimpembe while Marco Verratti was still suspended following his red card in the 1-1 draw at home to Reims last weekend. That lacklustre performance had been followed by the 3-1 win at Montpellier on Wednesday that had lifted PSG five points clear of the chasing pack, but with Toulouse unbeaten in seven competitive matches, the hosts looked set for another difficult evening at the Parc des Princes.
So it proved, especially with Renato Sanches suffering what appeared to be a hamstring injury barely ten minutes in to add to the list of players likely to miss the UEFA Champions League Last 16 first-leg tie with the Portugal international's former club, Bayern Munich, on 14 February.
His replacement, the young El Chadaille Bitshiabu, then lunged into a challenge on Zakaria Aboukhlal that earned the PSG prodigy a yellow card, and allowed Branco van den Boomen to bend a free-kick over the wall and beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma for a superb opening goal (20').
The Dutch midfielder's fifth league goal of the season was nearly cancelled out when Marquinhos glanced a Messi corner off the far post (33'), but Toulouse responded immediately: Aboukhlal, who had a superb opening 45 minutes, heading a Van den Boomen free-kick past Donnarumma, but the offside flag cut short his celebrations (34').
PSG failed to muster much threat collectively. Fortunately, their individual quality saw them level: Hakimi cut inside from the right before bending a shot beyond Maxime Dupé from outside the area. The Toulouse goalkeeper — making his 100th appearance for the club he joined in 2020 — was well beaten (38').
A superb flick of his left boot from Messi scythed a ball through the visitors' back line for Hakimi, who slashed wildly at the opportunity with the angle against him (55'), before PSG's FIFA World Cup winner used much lower quality service from the Morocco international to far better effect.
Hakimi snaked across the pitch, left to right, just outside the penalty area only for the ball to run away from him; it did, however, roll invitingly into the path of Messi, who swept a curling effort beyond Dupé's full-length dive to his right for a brilliant 15th competitive goal of the season, and his second in as many league games (58').
Had Farès Chaibi's fierce effort arrowed into the top corner and not the side-netting (67'), it might have been difficult to pick out the best goal of the game. Messi nearly added another contender when Toulouse allowed him to advance and tee himself up on his left foot, but this time, the Argentine's laser-guided precision deserted him (75').
Another well-placed free-kick had the PSG fans holding their breath — when Van den Boomen's goalbound effort was this time gathered gratefully by Donnarumma (78'), there was a collective sigh of relief. Thijs Dallinga then raced goalwards only to fire weakly at the Italy international goalkeeper (87'), who then made a superb and crucial save when Anthony Rouault turned the ball goal wards in a desperate six-yard box scramble (90+3'). Messi raced up the other end and clipped a shot off a post by means of response (90+4') as Christophe Galtier's men moved eight points clear of second-placed OM, who host Nice on Sunday evening.
THE PLAYER: Lionel Messi
Once again, the Argentine carried his side in the absence of his fellow superstars. Another goal — and a superb one at that — to claim the three points that keeps PSG's momentum high ahead of the midweek Coupe de France trip to Marseille.
THE STAT: 33
PSG are unbeaten in 33 league games at the Parc des Princes — this was their 28th win in that series.
