SOCCER. Embarrassed for 45 minutes, Paris Saint-Germain waited until the second act to shatter the Metz block (3-1). For his 25th birthday, Mbappé offered himself a double between class and mischief.
23:40 – Good night
Thank you everyone for following us for this match on the 17th day of League 1 between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz. See you in 2024 for the rest of the French football championship.
23:30 – A successful birthday, match summary
Some people are given gifts and others prefer to give them themselves. This is the case of Kylian Mbappé who on his 25th birthday scored a nice double against Metz to allow Paris Saint-Germain to score their 12th victory of the season and maintain their five-point lead at the top of Ligue 1. initially little in sight like the rest of his team, the French international waited until the hour of play to remind himself of the scorer that he is. Moments after missing a shot in a similar position, he received a ball near the left corner of the Metz area. Taking advantage of Nduquidi’s very loose marking, he visualized his target and fired a sharp right shot. It took off and dived back almost as quickly to hit the bottom of Oukidja’s crossbar before coming to shake the net. A little gem which owed nothing other than his talent, to the delight of the Parc des Princes, who had whistled at his team during the break in the face of the poverty of the spectacle on offer.
And as Mbappé likes to do things well, he was not satisfied with this flash on a cool December evening. No, the top scorer in PSG history sealed his team’s victory by showing great opportunism. On a long clearance from his goalkeeper, Van den Kerkhof put Nduquidi in difficulty with his delivery. The young Lorraine defender then chose to play it safe by looking for his goalkeeper behind. Sensing the right move, Mbappé emerged like a predator, stole the ball before going around the last opposing wall to finish in the empty goal. A nice gift from the Lorraine rearguard who had given nothing during the first 45 minutes.
It must be said that the plan concocted by Laszlo Bölöni worked perfectly during the first act. Regrouped in its last 30 meters, its team was compact, closing the smallest spaces and offering no space for possible Parisian races. Better, she operated on the counter, relying on the speed of Van den Kerkhof but lacked the offensive weight to really prove dangerous. All that work came to naught just five minutes after returning from the locker room. Repositioned on the right wing, Lee curled in a cross that Vitinha cut into the heart of the area. Behind, Metz had to reveal himself and was caught by Mbappé. Certainly Udol reduced the gap with a nice uncrossed header from a corner but that was not enough to derail the Parisian mechanics.
Without suffering but without really convincing, PSG closes 2023 on a good note with the feeling of duty accomplished and will be able to spend wonderful end-of-year celebrations at the top of the Championship. A celebration that Mbappé has already started well with a double but also an unexpected gift from Luis Enrique, who gave his first professional minutes to the Parisian star’s little brother, Ethan, who will be 17 in 9 days. A successful birthday for the 2018 world champion.
23:15 – PSG keeps its margin
23:04 – Lee’s reaction
“We knew it would be a difficult match but I think we were able to find the right solutions and we scored three goals”welcomed, at the microphone of Canal+, Lee Kang-In, valuable when he was placed on the right of the Parisian attack at the start of the second half and author of the decisive pass on Vitinha’s opening score.
22:55 – Victory for Paris Saint-Germain (3-1)
Without shining but buoyed by a double from Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain concludes the year 2023 with a success at home against Metz (3-1). After looking for its rhythm in the first period, PSG was able to quickly find the fault upon returning from the locker room and break the Metz lock thanks to Vitinha before Mbappé took care of the rest. With a neat strike, he brought the Parc des Princes to their feet before showing himself to be a trickster by intercepting a back pass from Nduquidi and bypassing Oukidja to seal the score. Udol’s goal from a corner to allow Metz to return to 1-2 was anecdotal.
22:53 – Great opportunity for Gonçalo Ramos
On the right side, Vitinha hits and slides a well-felt ball into the area for Gonçalo Ramos. Alone, the former Benfica rushes and hits from the left to the right of Oukidja’s post.
22:50 – Professional debut for Mbappé
In added time, Luis Enrique offers his first professional to Ethan Mbappé, Kylian’s younger brother who is not yet 17 (he will be in 9 days, editor’s note). The latter enters in place of Ugarte. At the same time, Soler appeared in the Barcola relay, when Gonçalo Ramos replaced Lee.
22:50 – Additional time: 5 minutes
There will be five minutes of added time in this match between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz.
22:49 – Last change Metz
Just before the end of normal time, Bölöni makes his last substitution. Jallow comes into play in place of Jean Jacques.
22:44 – Barcola center finds no one
On the left side, Barcola makes the difference in speed and at the end of the race, centering at ground level. His ball passes between the legs of one defender and escapes another, passing the goal before Udol clears it in front of Lee.
22:44 – Sané fails his test
N’Doram plays over the middle of the Parisian area for Sané but the new entrant lacks precision in his control to cushion the ball. PSG moves forward;
22:41 – Mbappé signs a double (3-1)
On a clearance from Oukidja, Van den Kerkhof wins his aerial duel but plays back for Nduquidi. His pass is average and forces the young Messin to play for his goalkeeper. In the middle, Mbappé smelled the blow and emerged to collect the offering, bypass the Lorraine goalkeeper and score his second goal of the evening in the 83rd minute.
22:40 – Mbappé signaled offside
Mbappé tries to escape the Metz vigilance by going behind his back on the right but the flag goes up.
22:39 – The corner gives nothing
Hit from the right, the Parisian corner was not well exploited and at the far post Oukidja grabbed it with both hands.
22:36 – Camara saves the day
The Metz corner gives nothing and turns into a counterattack for PSG. The ball is quickly raised and given in front of the area to Mbappé. The latter plays for himself but his shot from the inside of the right is deflected. At the far post, Vitinha rushes but sees Camara tackle in front of him and prevent him from scoring a double this evening.
22:35 – Asensio misses his clearance
The Messins attack from the right with Van den Kerkhof. They are four against four and the Algerian tries to refocus the game but his side pass is intercepted by the returning Asensio. The Spaniard, however, misses his clearance and sends the ball straight for a corner.
22:32 – Hernandez puts in a corner
Elisor makes a good run to the left of the area and receives the ball. He looks for a partner in the axis but his well-delivered low cross is cut by Hernandez who clears for a corner.
22:30 – Udol closes the gap (2-1)
On a corner hit from the left side by Nduquidi, Udol cuts at the near post and uncrosses his head perfectly to deceive Donnarumma with the help of the post. Everything is restarted 20 minutes from the end of regulation time.
22:29 – Double change for Metz
Just before the left corner for his team, Bölöni makes two new substitutions with the exits of Asoro and Sabaly to give playing time to Elisor and Sané.
22:28 – Danilo still present
Van den Kerkhof once again makes the difference on the right and crosses hard at ground level. At the near post, Danilo cuts accurately, while Sabaly and Asoro are lurking behind him.
22:26 – Release of Kolo Muani
Once again discreet, Kolo Muani comes out in the 67th minute in favor of Marco Asensio.
22:23 – First change for PSG
In the 64th minute, Luis Enrique made his first change with the exit of Skriniar for the entry into play of Hernandez.
22:22 – Mbappé above
Shifted into the left axis by Vitinha, Mbappé strikes from the right but misses the target, forgetting Barcola in the area.
22:21 – Change for Metz
Shortly after Mbappé’s goal, Laszlo Bölöni did some coaching with the exit of Maïga for the entry of Camara.
22:18 – The jewel of Mbappé (2-0)
At game time, Mbappé gives himself a nice gift for his 25th birthday. At the left corner of the Metz area, the attacker took advantage of Nduquidi’s loose marking to unleash a dry shot which rose before falling and hitting the bar to finish his journey into the Metz goal. Mbappé’s 17th achievement of the season gives PSG a break.