"Verratti might have had a broken leg" - PSG boss Christophe Galtier takes swipe at state of officiating after 1-1 draw against Benfica

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) head coach Christophe Galtier has hit out at refereeing decisions during his team's 1-1 draw against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League at the Estadio da Luz on October 5.

The Parisians registered the first draw of their continental campaign on Wednesday in their third Group H fixture. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a left-footed shot before Danilo Pereira turned the ball into his own net four minutes before the break.

Marco Verratti, who played the entire 90 minutes in Lisbon, was subject to a harsh tackle by Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 45th minute of the contest. Fernandez was booked in the process.

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Speaking at a post-match press conference, Galtier raised questions regarding the officiating in the match. He said (via L'Equipe):

"I think the referee was not helped by his assistants and by the VAR. Verratti might have had a broken leg. The referee is busy managing the game, he can make a mistake. But it was the assistants who should have alerted him because the player [Enzo Fernandez] put both feet on Verratti's leg."

Both Messi and Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes were taken off during the contest. Referring to the changes, Galtier added:

"Leo came out tired, he waved at us before he left. But it is okay. As for Nuno, he has a big muscular incident, he will miss a few matches."

Analyzing the match's intensity, he said:

"Mixed yes, because there was the will to get out of the opposing pressure with the short game, the game between the lines. We got there quite often but it lacked percussion and verticality, our pistons didn't bring enough. We knew that Benfica was going to put pressure on us, that they were going to thwart our outings."

PSG are next scheduled to lock horns with Stade de Reims at the Stade Auguste Delaune in a Ligue 1 contest on Saturday (October 8).

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PSG star Marco Verratti labels Lionel Messi as 'the best in history'

Speaking after the contest on Wednesday, Marco Verratti heaped praise on his PSG team-mate Lionel Messi. He told RMC Sport:

"It's incredible what Messi does, you never get used to it. It's in the simple things that you fall in love with him. For me, who loves football like that, he is an example, he is the best in history."

Operating in a creative role in a 3-4-2-1 setup, Messi has contributed an impressive eight goals and as many assists in 12 appearances across all competitions for PSG.