Let’s take a look at the Player Ratings from the Ligue 1 match between Saint-Etienne and PSG at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
Marquinhos’ brace, an Angel Di Maria strike, and a Lionel Messi hat-trick of assists sealed Paris Saint-Germain a 3-1 comeback win over a 10-man Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1.
Chaos reigned throughout an eventful first-half that had a bit of everything, including a first start for Sergio Ramos, in horrendous conditions over in France.
35 – Oldest players to make their first appearance in Ligue 1 in the 21st century :
🇮🇹 Gianluigi Buffon (40 years and 186 days)
🇮🇹 Morgan de Sanctis (39y and 168d)
🏴 David Beckham (37y and 298d)
🇧🇷 Naldo (36y and 125d)
🇪🇸 Sergio Ramos (35y and 243d)Veterans. #ASSEPSG pic.twitter.com/egf1Mpyv0P
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 28, 2021
Denis Bouanga handed the hosts a surprise, and somewhat dubious, lead inside 23 minutes. The Gabonese winger latched onto an initial save off a teammate to score. PSG called for offside, but a VAR review showed he was on-side at the time of the original delivery.
Later in the match, though, lady luck shined on the Parisians. A slew of yellow cards followed, including a red card for Saint-Etienne defender Timothee Kolodziejczak, before an inch-perfect Lionel Messi free-kick found its way towards Marquinhos, who headed in the equalizer at the near post.
With an extra-man advantage, PSG proceeded to pile the pressure on their foes and eventually went ahead in the second half when Messi cleverly drew the defenders in before flicking the ball towards an unmarked Di Maria.
The former Real Madrid winger didn’t need asking twice, as he lofted a simple finish around Saint-Etienne keeper Green.
Then, during the final moments of the match, Messi completed his hat-trick of assists by cutting a looped delivery in for Marquinhos to smash the ball in and complete a resounding 3-1 win.
3 – Lionel Messi has delivered 3 assists in a league game for only the 3rd time in his career, after 12 March 2016 (v Getafe) and 9 February 2020 (v Betis) with Barcelona. Gifts. #ASSEPSG pic.twitter.com/EkKuuL1hBf
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 28, 2021
Neymar suffers yet another injury blow
The three points, though, came at a cost as Neymar suffered yet another potential injury blow.
The former Barcelona man got caught in a sliding tackle on his ankle in the 84th-minute and fell to his side. He was clearly in agony and had to be stretchered off, much to the concern of the entire squad.
Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe replaced Neymar for the final minutes to complete the victory and send PSG 14 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
Terrible blessure pour Neymar, sorti en larmes sur civière face à Saint-Étienne. 🤕 pic.twitter.com/D3I7CnAY4r
— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) November 28, 2021
Player Ratings
St-Etienne: Green (7); Sissoko (6), Nade (6), Kolodziejczak (3), Trauco (6); Boudebouz (7), Camara (5); Bouanga (8), Aouchiche (6), Macon (6); Khazri (7).
Bench: Moukoudi (6), Youssouf (6), Gourna-Douath (5).
PSG: Donnarumma (6); Hakimi (6), Marquinhos (9), Ramos (7), Bernat (7); Pereira (7), Gueye (8); Di Maria (8), Messi (9), Neymar (7); Mbappe (6).
Bench: Paredes (6), Éric Ebimbe (N/A).
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