Messi suffers first PSG defeat in loss at Rennes

Lionel Messi suffered his first defeat as a Paris Saint-Germain participant on Sunday as their good begin to the Ligue 1 season ended with a 2-0 loss at Rennes.

The Argentina star smacked the crossbar with a free-kick within the first half at Roazhon Park earlier than Gaetan Laborde volleyed Rennes forward simply earlier than the break together with his league-leading sixth objective.

Flavien Tait struck lower than 20 seconds after half-time to double the lead, with Kylian Mbappe seeing a objective dominated out for offside as Rennes snapped PSG’s eight-match successful run within the league this time period.

“We didn’t begin the match properly however then we performed the very best 25-Half-hour of the season. It’s a disgrace we didn’t rating. We conceded two objectives that have been arduous to take,” stated PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino.

PSG misplaced within the league for the primary time since April, after they have been overwhelmed 1-0 at dwelling by final season’s eventual champions Lille.

“Typically, I’m happy, we created lots of possibilities. Rennes scored with their first and the objective had an enormous emotional influence,” stated Pochettino.

“I don’t wish to lose, there’s a little bit of anger. To go 2-0 down after a superb interval… We’re disenchanted to not have completed off what we had. It leaves us a bit bitter and disenchanted.”

Messi lined up alongside Neymar, Mbappe and Angel Di Maria for simply the second match, making solely his second league begin for PSG after lacking the previous two Ligue 1 video games with a knee damage.

Gianluigi Donnarumma once more received the nod forward of Keylor Navas in objective, having saved a clear sheet midweek in PSG’s Champions League win over Manchester Metropolis.

Seeking to maintain tempo with the group that gained its opening 14 video games below Thomas Tuchel in 2018, PSG created a sequence of possibilities halfway by way of the primary half — all of which went to waste.

Woodwork denies Messi

Neymar skied horribly after the ball broke kindly to the Brazilian contained in the Rennes space and Mbappe was responsible of one other obvious miss when he scooped over after getting in behind the house protection.

Messi, who bagged a spectacular first objective for PSG towards Metropolis on Tuesday, almost received off the mark in Ligue 1 however watched his curling free-kick from 25 yards clatter the bar on the half-hour.

Rennes goalkeeper Alfred Gomis crucially caught out a hand to disclaim Neymar a tap-in as Di Maria squared throughout the six-yard field, and PSG paid the worth for his or her missed alternatives on the stroke of half-time.

Kamaldeen Sulemana whipped in a cross from the left which was thumped past Donnarumma by Laborde, a deadline day signing from Montpellier.

Rennes, who spent 80 million euros ($92.6 million) on new signings in the summertime — greater than anybody in France together with PSG — caught the guests chilly proper at the beginning of the second half to make it 2-0.

Laborde, launched down the suitable, pulled again for Tait to comb in first time — the objective upheld after a VAR verify for offside, and greeted by a deafening roar from a full home of near 30,000 as soon as it was confirmed.

Sulemana fired a ferocious drive narrowly over however PSG appeared to have pulled one again when Mbappe squeezed past Gomis, just for it to be chalked off upon overview.

It might have been worse for Pochettino’s aspect had a penalty awarded to Rennes not been overturned within the closing phases after replays exonerated Achraf Hakimi from a foul on Laborde.

As a substitute PSG, who keep six factors away from second-placed Lens, should now reset after the worldwide break that may see Messi jet off to South America for a grueling sequence of three World Cup qualifiers.

Hours after the dying of former Marseille president Bernard Tapie on the age of 78, Jorge Sampaoli’s aspect misplaced 2-0 at Lille as Jonathan David struck twice for the second league recreation working.

The Canadian moved stage with Laborde on the high of the scoring charts after the Stade Pierre-Mauroy paid tribute to Tapie, the driving pressure behind Marseille’s victory within the inaugural Champions League in 1993.

Aurelien Tchouameni scored towards his former membership to spark Monaco to a 3-0 victory over Bordeaux, whereas winless Saint-Etienne tackle bitter derby rivals Lyon in a while Sunday.

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