Depay goal sinks PSG
paris — Memphis Depay struck a dramatic late winner as Lyon beat 10-man Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 on Sunday to move within eight points of the Ligue 1 leaders.
Nabil Fekir gave the hosts a shock second-minute lead at Groupama Stadium with a brilliant free-kick, but PSG snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time as left-back Layvin Kurzawa hammered home a stunning volley. PSG full-back Dani Alves was given a straight red card for dissent, and Lyon made their man advantage count deep into injury-time as substitute Depay picked out the top corner.
“At the start, I wanted to cross, but I saw that the keeper was on the side of the goal,” Fekir told Canal+. “It’s going to be difficult (to catch PSG), and the goal of the club is to take a Champions League place.”
PSG centre-back Marquinhos added: “Football is like that, they manage to shoot and score two goals.” Lyon retook second place from Marseille after inflicting only a second league defeat of the season on PSG, but Bruno Genesio’s men would still need an unlikely collapse from the capital club to launch a title challenge.
“We’re happy with the result, especially with beating the leaders when we’re aiming for second or third place,” said coach Genesio.
With Neymar missing due to a thigh problem, Kylian Mbappe returned to the away team’s starting XI after scoring as a substitute in the midweek 8-0 thrashing of Dijon, when Neymar netted four times. Lyon caught the runaway league leaders cold with less than two minutes on the clock, as French international Fekir produced a moment of magic.
Alphonse Areola was anticipating a cross when Fekir shaped to take a free-kick from the right-hand side, but the attacking midfielder whipped in a shot that flicked the inside of the post on its way past the stranded PSG goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old has now scored 16 league goals this season from 19 appearances, while it was also the earliest PSG had conceded in a Ligue 1 game since May 2007.
PSG were rocked by Lyon’s intense early pressing, but Edinson Cavani, looking for the goal he needed to break Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s all-time club goalscoring record after levelling the Swede’s total of 156 on Wednesday, saw a long-range lob spin narrowly wide after home keeper Anthony Lopes’s poor clearance. —