Lionel Messi's 95th-minute free-kick secured all three points for PSG as they came from behind to beat Lille 4-3 in an epic Ligue 1 encounter – but the win was marred by a nasty-looking injury to Neymar.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe – who needs just three more to become PSG's all-time record scorer – and Neymar put the Ligue 1 leaders 2-0 up inside 17 minutes at the Parc des Princes – but Lille fought back, flipping the game on its head to lead 3-2 midway through the second half.
At that point, PSG were heading for their fourth straight defeat in all competitions. Christopher Galtier's side had lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, having gone down 3-1 at Monaco last time out in the league and been knocked out of the Coupe de France by arch-rivals Marseille.
A Lionel Messi free-kick makes it 4-3 to PSG, five minutes into stoppage time! 💥His 699th club goal turns it around against Lille to secure all three points! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/9YlSXruIqqFebruary 19, 2023
Trailing to Lille, PSG's advantage at the top of Ligue 1 was down to five points, but Mbappe's second goal of the match, followed by Messi's dead-ball doozy – the 699th strike of his club career – ensured that the reigning champions remain eight points clear of Marseille (who have a game in hand).
But it wasn't all good news for the Parisiens, who saw Neymar leave the pitch on a stretcher early in the second half. The Brazilian – who set up Mbappe's opener before scoring himself – looked to badly turn his ankle while challenging for the ball with Lille's Benjamin Andre.
The extent of the damage remains to be seen, but it is an undeniable big blow for PSG to lose a player who has been involved in more than a third of their league goals this season.
