Paris Saint-Germain won their eleventh French championship title on Saturday May 27, a record, without shining on Saturday in Strasbourg (1-1) with a goal from Lionel Messi, a farewell gift from the Argentine genius before the club does not launch a new project.
After a season enamelled with crises of all kinds, PSG finally won this title which allowed them to overtake AS Saint-Étienne, ten times champion. One of the hosts of this exercise worthy of a TV series, Léo Messi, scored the goal that crowned Paris, on an excellent service from his attacking partner, Kylian Mbappé.
The “Pulga”, regularly whistled at the Parc des Princes since the elimination by Bayern Munich, ends on a good statistical note, 16 goals and 16 assists in L1, before the 38th and last day against Clermont, to celebrate the coronation with an audience that hasn’t fully embraced it.
Like Messi, PSG did not have to force their talent against Strasbourg, which ensured their maintenance, Nantes (17th), seven lengths away, no longer able to catch up with them. Racing even equalized thanks to a former PSG, a great classic, Kevin Gameiro, two-time scorer, subtly countering a powerful strike repelled by Gianluigi Donnarumma (79th).
Coach Christophe Galtier therefore won a second league title, two years after guiding Lille ahead of PSG by Thomas Tuchel then Mauricio Pochettino, but should not stay in the new project, where Mbappé will take an even more important place. The emblem of the club failed to outrun Alexandre Lacazette, scorer with OL, in the race for the title of best gunner, with 28 goals against 27 for the Lyon captain before the last trick. There is therefore still a challenge for PSG: to help its captain for one evening – Marquinhos was injured – to win a fifth consecutive title of top scorer, like Jean-Pierre Papin between 1988 and 1992.
This will help spice up the title game, because on Saturday, as the draw suited both teams – Paris to be champions, Strasbourg to stay in L1 after scaring each other for much of the season – the 22 players did not are not too overwhelmed. PSG had two chances in quick succession, a tightrope walker number from Mbappé blocked at the last moment (29) and a recovery from Renato Sanches parried by Mats Sels (29), and Racing hit the post by Habib Diallo (38) . The Senegalese had another chance (70), before the equaliser, and Mbappé a last ball to regain the lead over Lacazette (85), but the last seconds ended with a harmless ten-man pass.
The Alsatian supporters celebrated, to celebrate the maintenance, and also celebrated one of their favorite players, Dimitri Liénard, at the end of the contract after ten years at the club, where he had arrived in National. ” A decade honoring our colors “, said the banner of the ultras, below a large portrait of the player on the whole platform. Very moved when he came into play in place of Colin Dagba (66), Liénard even had trouble stapling his armband. ” It’s great, I wish any young footballer to experience what I experienced with the public. I’m not the only one who had tears tonight “, he dropped at the microphone of Prime Video.
Saturday night, everyone was happy.
(With AFP)