Clicky
Sports, Football

PSG scrape win with late Mbappe penalty


By AFP
Published : 16 Oct 2021 08:23 PM | Updated : 17 Oct 2021 09:52 AM

Kylian Mbappe converted a soft late VAR penalty award to give a Paris Saint-Germain side missing Lionel Messi and Neymar a 2-1 win over Angers in Ligue 1 on Friday.

PSG had to come from behind, with Danilo Pereira heading in the equaliser midway through the second half after Angelo Fulgini had given the away side the lead at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe then finished emphatically from the spot with three minutes left after Angers defender Pierrick Capelle had been penalised for a handball only seen by the referee following a review of the images.

Beaten at Rennes in their last game before the international break, Mauricio Pochettino's PSG side have now won nine of their 10 Ligue 1 outings this season and are nine points clear of Lens in second. The victory, which PSG will say was deserved on the overall balance of play, came without their South American stars who were in World Cup qualifying action across the Atlantic less than 24 hours earlier.

Messi, Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes all played in Argentina's 1-0 win over Peru in Buenos Aires, while Neymar scored and Marquinhos was an unused substitute as Brazil crushed Uruguay 4-1 in the Amazonian city of Manaus.

"We were without 80 to 90 percent of our players during the international break, but the players who haven't played much put in a great effort and it's a great three points," said Pochettino, who was grateful for the presence of Mbappe.

"We know Kylian is a great player, one of the best in the world, and he shows up when the team needs him."

Related Topics