CNN
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Paris Saint-Germain’s miserable season went from bad to worse on Sunday as the team suffered a second consecutive home defeat with a 1-0 loss to Lyon.
Even before the match kicked off, Lionel Messi was the victim of the frustrations of some PSG supporters who whistled when his name appeared on the big screen during the announcement of the starting eleven.
After Alexandre Lacazette missed a first-half penalty, Bradley Barcola’s goal in the 10th minute of the second half was enough to give Lyon all three points on a night when PSG rarely looked like threatening the visitors’ goal.
Lens’ 1-0 win over Rennes and Marseille’s 1-1 draw with Montpellier mean both teams are now just six points behind PSG at the top of Ligue 1, and even the domestic title could slip out of the team’s grasp.
The reaction from some fans on Sunday must have been a far cry from the adulation and adoration Messi received upon his recent return to Argentina for friendlies against Panama and Curacao as the country continued its World Cup celebrations.
Messi’s arrival at the Parc des Princes was supposed to be the missing piece that would help PSG finally win the Champions League, the trophy the club’s Qatari owners most aspire to.
So far, the only major trophy the team have won since Messi’s arrival was Ligue 1 last season, a title – it’s fair to say – that PSG would probably have won without him.
Messi has contributed 34 goals in all competitions for PSG this season – 18 goals and 17 assists – second only to Mbappe’s 38 and head coach Christophe Galtier has refused to pin the blame for the team’s failures on the Argentine.
“I found it hard (to hear the taunts),” Galtier told reporters, according to The Athletic. “We can expect Messi and Mbappe to unlock difficult situations. Messi is trying hard, but not everything has worked. But around him, the other players also have to do their job.”
“We can’t expect everything from Leo and Kylian,” he added.
Next up for PSG is a decisive week for the season, as Galtier’s side travel to a Nice side unbeaten in 13 matches, before welcoming Lens to the Parc des Princes.
PSG have lost two of their three games since being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich last month, and only beat relegation-threatened Brest thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Kylian Mbappe.
After his team’s victory, Lyon coach Laurent Blanc said the “all or nothing” mentality in the Champions League had been detrimental to PSG’s performances.
“The problem for Paris is that when the number one objective, the Champions League, is no longer accessible, we have the impression that the season no longer exists – and at all levels,” he told reporters.
cnn
