Montpellier 0-4 PSG: Parisians' Player Ratings as Messi, Mbappe and Di Maria dazzle in a display of beautiful football | Ligue 1 2021-22
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Montpellier in style by a 4-0 scoreline in Ligue 1 on Saturday, May 14.
The visitors began the game on the front foot as Kylian Mbappe proved to be a thorn in the hosts' side. He attempted a few shots of his own before turning provider. He provided an assist as Lionel Messi opened the scoring for PSG after just six minutes with a well-taken goal.
The pair continued to threaten and were aided by their teammate Angel Di Maria, who played some good passes. Montpellier had a good chance to equalize early in the half. However, Stephy Mavdidi failed to convert from the chance presented to him.
Mbappe continued to threaten and played an inch-perfect trivela pass into Messi's path. The Argentine scored his second goal within 20 minutes after he rounded the hosts' goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud to make it 2-0.
20' Ohhh and that's a brace for Messi! 🤩
⌚ 20' Ohhh and that's a brace for Messi! 🤩
BEAUTIFUL assist by @KMbappe 🪄
#MHSCPSG I 0-2
https://t.co/wa8a30Pei8
PSG added a third goal soon after, this time through Di Maria. Mbappe did really well to make space and played a pass to Messi. However, it was cleared by Maxime Esteve and fell kindly to Di Maria, who made it 3-0 after 26 minutes.
Mbappe dominated proceedings and nearly got one back himself but could only see his curling effort rattle the woodwork. PSG continued to control the tempo of the game and ended the first half with 69% possession and 11 shots. The sides went into the break with the visitors 3-0 up.
⏸ A great first half comes to an end.
Good stuff @PSG_English ❤️💙
#MHSCPSG I 0-3 https://t.co/ri3gjVmZBP
The second half began with Montpellier losing Mavdidi to a hamstring injury. The forward pulled up after a sprint and was seen clutching the back of his left leg in what was a major blow for the hosts.
Mbappe finally received his reward for a good performance after he was brought down in the box and PSG were awarded a penalty. He stepped up and duly scored from the spot to make it 4-0.
As the second half progressed, Mauricio Pochettino made several changes to his side. He first brought on Xavi Simons and Edouard Michut. Later on, the PSG manager brought on Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Djeidi Gassama as he gave fringe players a few minutes.
PSG took their foot off the gas and eased off the pressure. Substitute Junior Sambia came closest for Montpellier but his shot sailed wide.
The game ended with PSG defeating Montpellier 4-0. With that said, let's take a look at the player ratings from the game.
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7/10
He had a shaky start to the game after making two errors that led to shots. However, he made three saves and played six of eight accurate long balls to cap off a good performance.
Thilo Kehrer - 6/10
Kehrer put in an average performance and was subbed off after 85 minutes.
Marquinhos - 7.5/10
Marquinhos made three clearances and one interception. He was booked in second-half stoppage time after a late tackle.
Sergio Ramos - 8/10
The veteran Spaniard made a composed start to the game and looked solid in PSG's backline. No Montpellier player was able to dribble past him even once in the game. He also made three clearances, one block and one interception.
Juan Bernat - 7/10
Bernat started the game well and looked good while playing the ball into dangerous areas from the left flank. He won seven of his 10 duels.
Ander Herrera - 6.5/10
Herrera started the game in typically aggressive fashion. He was booked in the first half. He played two accurate long balls and made three interceptions in a decent performance.
Georginio Wijnaldum - 6.5/10
Wijnaldum made a strong start to the game. He won one of his two ground duels and made one interception and one clearance.
Marco Verratti - 7/10
Verratti was the chief distributor of the ball for PSG. He played five accurate long balls and made six tackles.
Angel Di Maria - 8.5/10
Di Maria kept pace with his strike partners as he scored midway through the first half. He also made three successful dribbles, playing three accurate crosses and nine accurate long balls.
Lionel Messi - 9.5/10
Messi was at his vintage best as he first scored from a well-taken shot. He then rounded the goalkeeper and slotted into an empty net to score a beautiful second goal. Messi played four key passes, five accurate long balls, and won five of his eight duels.
| QUICK STAT
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
Following the big chance he created for Kylian Mbappé in #MHSCPSG tonight, Lionel Messi has become the first player in the top 5 European leagues to create 200 big chances in the last 7 seasons.
No one else created more than 143 big chances in that time span. 🤯 https://t.co/FUaQ1PsqU2
Kylian Mbappe - 9/10
He was a livewire for PSG after making a stunning start to the game. Despite not being able to score for himself, he provided two assists for Messi to score from. He added a goal for himself after converting the penalty he earned.
Substitutes
Xavi Simons - 6/10
He came on after 69 minutes but was instantly booked in thr 70th minute. Apart from that, he had a decent game as he helped PSG see out the win.
Edouard Michut - 6/10
The youngster came on for Herrera and put in a decent shift.
Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes & Djeidi Gassama - N/A
The trio came on as late-game substitutes and played very few minutes to warrant a rating.