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| Neymar Jr of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille at Parc des Princes on April 17, 2022 in Paris, France. |
Paris Saint-Germain practically guaranteed themselves another Ligue 1 title after beating Marseille at home.
Goals from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe helped PSG continue their march towards a record-equalling 10th French title earning them a 2-1 win.
Neymar’s early opener for PSG was cancelled out by Duje Caleta Car before Mbappe’s penalty sealed the win and put PSG on 74 points.
PSG, having found their footing recently after a string of poor performances got off to a lively start.
It did not take long for Mauricio Pochettino’s men to take the lead in front of an almost silent crowd as the club’s normally noisy Ultras, or hardcore fans, signalled their frustration again after last month’s elimination from the Champions League.
Neymar put them ahead after 12 minutes when he latched onto a pinpoint cross from Marco Verratti and lobbed keeper Pau Lopez from near the penalty spot.
Marseille stayed compact and levelled on 31 minutes as Caleta Car tapped in from a packed goalmouth after Gianluigi Donnarumma missed the ball from a corner.
PSG piled on the pressure but were repeatedly caught by the offside trap, with Lionel Messi being denied twice by the offside flag.
They were, however, rewarded for their domination on the stroke of half-time when they were awarded a penalty after a VAR review showed that the ball had hit Valentin Rongier’s elbow on the edge of the area.
Mbappe buried the spot kick five minutes into first-half stoppage time for his 21st goal of the Ligue 1 season.
Tempers flared after the break and Neymar protested vehemently after picking up a yellow card for a foul on Matteo Guendouzi and needed a couple of minutes to cool down.
PSG had another goal disallowed in the 75th minute when Mbappe was ruled offside after being set up by Messi.
Marseille celebrated what they thought was an equaliser five minutes from full-time, only for William Saliba’s goal to be ruled out for yet another offside.
They now lead second-placed Marseille by a massive 15 points with six games left and could be crowned champions of France once again next weekend.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side now have to look over their shoulders as they hold a three-point lead over third-placed Stade Rennais as both teams battle it out for second place and direct qualification for the Champions League’s group stage.
