PARIS, Feb 7: Lionel Messi had one of his best games for Paris Saint-Germain they profited from bad goalkeeping to win 5-1 at defending champion Lille and move 13 points clear in the French league on Sunday.
The first two goals were gifted while the third was well taken by the record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi in the 37th minute for only his second league goal since joining from Barcelona. Lille caused PSG problems but defended poorly.
Lille goalkeeper Ivo Grbic made an awful blunder in the 10th, spilling a routine cross from the left into the path of Danilo Pereira for a tap-in.
Central defender Sven Botman equalized in the 27th, turning in a cross following Ben Arfa’s superb run down the left. Ben Arfa showed great skill skating past Angel Di Maria, despite having little space, then flicking the ball while off-balance to the waiting Botman.
Grbic then made another inexplicable error as he failed to move for a corner, clumsily letting it drift over him for center back Presnel Kimpembe to score.
He was not at fault on PSG’s third goal, yet his defense was. It failed to clear the ball and allowed it to land at the feet of Messi. The Argentina star showed his trademark skill to dink it over Grbic.
Pereira’s deflected strike fortuitously flew past Grbic in the 50th, but there was nothing lucky about Kylian Mbappe’s superb curler from 20 meters midway through the second half.
Earlier, Nice missed its chance to take second place and the automatic Champions League spot when it lost 1-0 at home to struggling Clermont. Elbasan Rashani scored in the 77th. (AP)
