PARIS (CP-AP) – Canada international Jonathan David scored his 15th goal of the season for Lille to secure a draw in France, albeit in a 4-3 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
The 23-year-old from Ottawa beat PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a 57th-minute penalty to make it 2-2. David, who has scored 22 goals in 38 appearances for Canada, is level on points with Reims’ Folarin Balogun in the Ligue 1 points race.
However, Paris Saint-Germain prevailed with a late rally to avert a major crisis at the Qatar-backed side, who faced the possibility of a fourth straight loss.
The French leaders gave away a two-goal advantage and found themselves trailing in the 86th minute before Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi turned the tide to turn an impending fiasco into a 4-3 win.
Mbappe grabbed a late equalizer at Parc des Princes. Messi then fired home the winning goal deep in injury time from a free-kick, with a fatal left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.
“I can only say that it is a great relief,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier.
The hard-fought victory followed a 1-0 home defeat by Bayern in the Champions League, which followed a 3-1 defeat by Monaco in the league and another setback against bitter rivals Marseille in the French Cup.
After playing just half an hour against Bayern after returning from a hamstring injury, Mbappe was back in Christophe Galtier’s starting XI. His punching power consistently made up for PSG’s defensive deficiencies and lack of focus.
PSG led 2-0 after 16 minutes after Neymar’s goal but the French champions then conceded three goals – Bafode Diakite, David and Jonathan Bamba all scored – and lost Neymar to injury.
There was clear nervousness in the ranks of PSG from the start.
The hosts were under immediate pressure when Tim Weah’s shot was deflected and Donnarumma was forced into a reflex save to stop the ball with his feet. PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe then put Donnarumma in a difficult position, heading the ball back to the keeper just to set David up for a one-on-one. The Lille striker looked surprised by the unintentional assist and his right foot drive wasn’t good enough to beat the Italian goalkeeper.
Looking fragile, PSG relied on Mbappe to take the lead.
Prepared by Neymar, the French striker charged down the left flank and sliced inside to find Tiago Djalo and Bafode Diakite. Mbappe played Djalo and worked his way between the two, then defeated goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier with a low shot in the 12th minute.
PSG doubled their lead five minutes later with a quick collective move, sparked and completed by Neymar, who fired the ball into an empty net. Neymar was pushed off on a stretcher in the second half after twisting his right ankle.
Despite the comfortable cushion, PSG appeared shaky and unable to dictate the game. The hosts often found themselves stuck in their half and couldn’t hold on to their lead for long.
Lille’s effort was rewarded with a set piece in the 23rd minute when Diakite headed home an Andre Gomes cross.
Things took a turn for the worse for PSG after Marco Verratti pulled Djalo’s shirt into the penalty area, prompting the referee to signal a penalty amid protests from PSG players and staff. David took the kick and coolly wrong-footed Donnarumma to level.
Bamba then put Lille in the driver’s seat with an excellent shot from a tight angle in the top corner while Mbappe shook his head in disbelief.
However, Mbappe didn’t give up and put PSG back in the game when he used a back pass from Juan Bernat to put the ball in the back net before Messi delighted PSG fans with his free-kick.
Marseille later traveled to Toulouse. PSG and Marseille are set to face off again next week at the Stade Velodrome in the biggest game in French football.
Elsewhere, goals from Aleksandr Golovin and Myron Boadu gave Monaco a 2-1 win in Brest, Lorient beat Ajaccio 3-0, Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo scored twice in a 2-0 win over Clermont while Wahbi Khazri scored one late winner and led Montpellier to a 1-0 win at Troyes.
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Source: www.orilliamatters.com
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