(Lens – Paris Saint-Germain 3–1) The French big club lost two of its biggest players when they went to their first blow to the belly of the year.
Lionel Messi is still on vacation in Argentina, while Neymar was suspended after being sent off for his Christmas photoshoot in space, but PSG still boast a star-studded squad with French superstar Kylian Mbappe at the top.
Didn’t help. Przemyslaw Frankowski gave the home team the lead with five minutes left to play. Hugo Ikitake equalized from close range three minutes later, but Loïs Openda put Lens back in front with half an hour left to play. After the ball was lost by Carlos Soler, Obenda feinted both Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos before scoring.
Early in the second half, Alexis Claude Morris made it 3-1 with an assist from Obenda with his heel.
Lens’ victory means PSG’s gap at the top of the table has been reduced to four points. The big club had 14 wins and two draws in 16 league matches before the end of the year, but lost on the first day of 2023.
The consolation of Paris Saint-Germain is that Messi is expected to return to work as soon as possible, and that Neymar has spent his quarantine.
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