Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain stunned by Nantes: Records broken
Nantes stunned Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in a crunch encounter. A superb first half saw Nantes score all three goals. Neymar pulled one goal back for PSG right after half-time but it wasn't enough. He missed a penalty thereafter as Nantes held on for a famous win. Nantes have moved up to fifth in the standings.
How did the match pan out?
Kolo Muani gave Nantes the perfect start, scoring in the fourth minute. Quentin Merlin fired in a superb second moments later before Ludovic Blas slammed in a penalty in added minutes of the first half. Nantes' Lafont denied Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar with some superb saves. Neymer's penalty miss proved to be costly. Mbappe missed another superb chance as well.
Why does this story matter?
PSG had beaten Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie at home but couldn't carry on with the momentum. Nantes were aggressive in the first half and took their chances to leave PSG in shock. One expected PSG to fight back and Neymar led the charge but Nantes keeper Alban Lafont was majestic, making several top-notch saves.
800th game of Messi's professional career
Lionel Messi made his 800th appearance of his professional career in club competitions. He made the assist for Neymar, taking his overall tally to 274. Messi has 679 goals in his professional club career. Messi has 10-goal involvements in Ligue 1 this season (G2 A8). Messi has now provided eight assists in his last nine Ligue 1 games.
Second defeat for PSG this season
PSG were unbeaten in Ligue 1 since October 2021. They have suffered a second defeat in 2021-22. Notably, PSG have conceded 3+ goals in the first half of a Ligue 1 game for the first time in the last six seasons. After 25 matches, PSG have 59 points (W18 D5 L2). They have scored 53 goals, besides letting in 22.
Neymar bags his 60th Ligue 1 goal
Neymar scored his fourth goal this season in all competitions for PSG (16 matches). He has 91 goals in 132 games for PSG in all competitions. He has 60 goals in 81 Ligue 1 matches.