PARIS, Sep 19: Lionel Messi and Neymar needed only five minutes to combine for Paris Saint-Germain’s goal in a 1-0 win at Lyon in the French league on Sunday as leader PSG moved two points clear of second-place Marseille.
Messi started and finished the slick move after exchanging passes with Neymar and curled the ball expertly past the despairing dive of goalkeeper Anthony Lopes for his fourth league goal of the season.
It was Neymar’s seventh assist in the league this season. Neymar was making his 100th league appearance for PSG, during which time he has been involved in 121 goals (77 goals and 44 assists).
Lyon got into the game more in the first half and Alexandre Lacazette had a shot saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but also missed a free header from close to the goal.
PSG hit back and Messi’s low shot drew a superb low save from Lopes in the 78th, then Lopes made an even better save to claw away Messi’s curling free kick near the end.
Nice nightmare
Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo will quickly want to forget this game after he was sent off just nine seconds into his side’s 1-0 home defeat to Angers.
The former Barcelona central defender tripped Abdallah Sima as he was running through on goal and referee Bastien Dechepy had no hesitation showing him the fastest red card in French first division history.
Angers also finished with 10 players after midfielder Sofiane Boufal was sent off in the 62nd minute, but Nice couldn’t find an equaliser to Nabil Bentaleb’s strike for Angers in the 43rd.
Marseille remain unbeaten in a 1-1 home draw with Rennes where midfielder Matteo Guendouzi scored at both ends.
Rennes took the lead midway through the first half at Stade Velodrome when Guendouzi scored an own-goal by deflecting in Hamari Traoré’s cross. He made amends in the 52nd when he headed home from a corner past former Marseille goalie Steve Mandanda.
Other matches
Lens stayed in fourth place — one point behind Lorient — after drawing 0-0 at Nantes in a tight game.
Aleksandr Golovin scored at the start of the second half and Takumi Minamino and Wissam Ben Yedder netted late on in fifth-place Monaco’s 3-0 win at Reims.
Elsewhere, striker Mama Balde scored twice as Troyes rallied from conceding an early goal to win 3-1 at Clermont and Corsican side Ajaccio picked up its first victory of the season with a 1-0 win at Brest. (AP)
