Paris St-Germain 3-1 Nantes: Lionel Messi opens Ligue 1 account as 10-man leaders win

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Last updated on 13 minutes ago.From the section European Football

Lionel Messi scores his first Ligue 1 goal for Paris St-Germain.

Lionel Messi scored his first goal in Ligue 1 as 10-man Paris St-Germain moved 13 points clear at the top with a late rally to beat Nantes.

Messi curled home left-footed from 20 yards three minutes from time.

Kylian Mbappe had given PSG an early lead but the hosts were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Keylor Navas raced from his box to foul Ludovic Blas.

Nantes levelled via Randal Kolo Muani's backheel but Dennis Appiah's freak own goal and Messi's measured shot won it.

The victory was Les Parisiens' 12th in 14 league games and it looked set to be a routine affair after they dominated the first half, buoyed by Mbappe's second-minute opener.

However, Nantes keeper Albon Lafont kept the visitors in it with a string of saves to thwart Messi and Neymar before his opposite number Navas saw red for a reckless rush of blood.

His replacement Sergio Rico, brought on for Neymar, saved well from Muani's header but could not keep out the Nantes forward's improvised rebound.

But Appiah's interception of a Messi pass looped over Lafont from 20 yards before the former Barcelona playmaker - whose three previous PSG goals had all come in the Champions League - broke his domestic duck in his sixth Ligue 1 game.

Line-ups

PSG

Formation 4-3-3

1NavasBooked at 65mins
2Hakimi
24Kehrer
22Diallo
14Bernat
27Gueye
8ParedesSubstituted forDaniloat 89'minutes
6VerrattiBooked at 71minsSubstituted forWijnaldumat 75'minutes
30Messi
7Mbappé
10NeymarSubstituted forRicoat 68'minutes

Substitutes

9Icardi
11Di María
15Danilo
16Rico
17Dagba
18Wijnaldum
21Herrera
25Tavares Mendes
28Ebimbe

Nantes

Formation 4-2-3-1

1Lafont
24CorchiaSubstituted forAppiahat 42'minutes
21Castelletto
3Girotto
2Pereira da SilvaSubstituted forMerlinat 58'minutes
18MoutoussamySubstituted forCyprienat 77'minutes
5ChirivellaBooked at 39mins
11CocoSubstituted forGeubbelsat 77'minutes
10BlasBooked at 83mins
23Kolo Muani
7CoulibalySubstituted forBukariat 58'minutes

Substitutes

8Cyprien
12Appiah
14Traoré
19Geubbels
26Bukari
29Merlin
30Petric
31Manvelyan
33M'Bemba

Live Text

Match ends, Paris Saint Germain 3, Nantes 1.
Second Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 3, Nantes 1.
Attempt missed. Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Kylian Mbappé with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Andrei Girotto.
Attempt blocked. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Danilo Pereira replaces Leandro Paredes.
Goal! Paris Saint Germain 3, Nantes 1. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kylian Mbappé following a fast break.
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andrei Girotto (Nantes).
Ludovic Blas (Nantes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ludovic Blas (Nantes).
Own Goal by Dennis Appiah, Nantes. Paris Saint Germain 2, Nantes 1.
Substitution, Nantes. Wylan Cyprien replaces Samuel Moutoussamy.
Substitution, Nantes. Willem Geubbels replaces Marcus Coco.
Goal! Paris Saint Germain 1, Nantes 1. Randal Kolo Muani (Nantes) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Randal Kolo Muani (Nantes) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Quentin Merlin with a cross.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Georginio Wijnaldum replaces Marco Verratti.
Corner, Nantes. Conceded by Juan Bernat.