Ranking PSG's 5 best players against Lille | Ligue 1 2021-22
Desperate to bounce back from their French Cup defeat, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) traveled to the home of defending Ligue 1 champions Lille on Sunday night.
Against the struggling champions, the Parisians turned on the style and cruised to a comfortable 1-5 win on matchday 23 of Ligue 1. The emphatic win saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to 13 points, putting them further out of anyone’s reach.
Despite struggling to get a foothold in the game, it was PSG who struck first in the 10th minute, courtesy of Ivo Grbic’s shoddy goalkeeping. The Croatian keeper failed to collect Nuno Mendes’ straightforward cross and the ball fell kindly to Danilo Pereira, who smartly converted from close range.
The hosts bounced back with an equalizer just before the half-hour mark through Sven Botman. Unfortunately, they could not build on it.
Presnel Kimpembe and Lionel Messi added a couple before half-time, giving the Ligue 1 leaders a comfortable 1-3 lead. The routing continued into the second half as Pereira added another goal to his tally in the 51st minute. Finally, French superstar Kylian Mbappe joined the party, curling one home in the 67th minute to secure a massive 1-5 win for the visitors.
On that note, here are five PSG players who stood out in their exhilarating victory at Lille on Sunday night:
#5 Presnel Kimpembe
With Sergio Ramos ruled out with yet another calf injury, Presnel Kimpembe started alongside Marquinhos against Lille on Sunday. The Frenchman was surefooted against the reigning champions, never allowing their attackers a free pass.
He also pushed further up the pitch whenever an opportunity presented itself and was not afraid to take his chance.
Kimpembe never wants to let go of Messi 😅🐐 https://t.co/gOgHx2fS0N
In the 32nd minute, Messi’s impeccable corner delivery left the Lille keeper dumbfounded, finding Kimpembe in space. The centre-back attacked it with pace and put PSG in front.
Kimpembe also won all five of his duels, registered two clearances and blocked a shot.
#4 Marco Verratti
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti could not get on the scoresheet on Sunday night. But that did not stop him from absolutely bossing the show from midfield.
Every intelligent passage of play went through the Italian, who, once again, impressed everyone with his impeccable distribution and resistance to pressure.
Neymar:
🗣 "I knew Verratti was an excellent player, but I didn't realise he was so spectacular. A genius. He's one of the best midfielders I've played with, along with Xavi Hernández and Iniesta." https://t.co/6mAc3l5te8
The Italy international had 95 touches, 75 passes, made one key pass, and provided an assist to Kylian Mbappe.
The central midfielder also won nine duels, which is nothing short of astonishing against a midfield as dogged as Lille’s.