10-man Paris Saint-Germain defeated Nantes on Saturday (November 20) in a Ligue 1 match at Parc des Princes, extending their lead in the standings. PSG now have a 12-point advantage over Rennes in the league table. This was also a landmark match for Lionel Messi, who scored his first goal in Ligue 1 for the Parisians. In fact, Messi was directly involved in two goals and had a key role in the game's outcome. The match report of PSG vs Nantes is discussed in this article.

Match Report: PSG vs Nantes

Lionel Messi has been criticized for not putting up his typical masterful performance for PSG. He had a couple of good outings prior to this match, and Paris fans had seen his brilliance in those matches. Besides that, Messi has been quiet for his new team this season. Thankfully, he delivered against Nantes on Saturday, boosting his confidence for future matches.

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PSG did not have to wait long to score their opening goal of the game. A long-range effort from Kylian Mbappe was deflected into the net by a Nantes defender. Within two minutes, the host had taken the lead in the contest. PSG failed to score a second goal in the first half and had to be content with a 1-0 lead despite increasing their attacks on the opposition defense.

The Parisians were more aggressive towards the opposing half from the start of the second half. Every time the magical trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe went forward, they frightened the Nantes defenders. Instead of scoring a second goal, PSG were down to ten men as goalkeeper Keylor Navas was sent off for a reckless tackle on Ludovic Blas right outside the D-box area.

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Nantes took advantage of the situation and discarded the lead courtesy of a goal by Kolo Muani in the 76th minute. There were a few worrisome moments in the PSG dugout, but it only took five minutes to extend the lead. When Nantes defender Dennis Appiah tried to intercept Messi's through pass, it went straight into the net.

Six minutes later, Lionel Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal for PSG. His left-footed strike from outside the D-box went into the bottom left corner of the net, assisted by Kylian Mbappe. Paris Saint-Germain now have 37 points from 14 games with a 3-1 victory against Nantes.

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Match Statistics: Nantes vs PSG 

The host PSG tried 14 shots and seven of them were successful. On the other hand, Nantes made 12 attempts and had six shots on target.

According to the match statistics, Paris Saint-Germain had 67 percent ball possession while Nantes had 33 percent. The home side completed eye-catching 772 passes, while the visiting team completed only 377.

PSG had a 92 percent passing accuracy, while Nantes had an 88 percent passing accuracy.

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PSG were charged with eight fouls but only earned one yellow and one red card. On the other hand, Nantes were penalized for 12 fouls and two yellow cards.

Way Forward

Lionel Messi has scored three times for PSG in the Champions League this season, but he has been criticized for failing to score in the league since his debut in August. In Ligue 1, it took him six games to score for Paris Saint-Germain, and thankfully, his effort was the difference-maker.

Nantes had their moments in the game, and they were playing against a 10-man PSG team at one time after goalkeeper Keylor Navas was sent off in the second half. PSG had a chance to drop points in the encounter, but Messi responded to the challenge and delivered for his new team. Even if they lost this match, their position in Ligue 1 would not have changed. They would have remained at the number one position in the standings.

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PSG's next league match is against St-Etienne on November 28, while Nantes take on defending champion Lillie on November 27.