Messi goal seals PSG comeback win over Toulouse

PARIS — After Lionel Messi's second-half goal helped a lackluster Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse 2-1 to move eight points clear at the top of the French league on Saturday, the team was urged to lighten its superstar's load.

Messi struck with a typical curling strike in the 57th minute following a move with Morocco right back Achraf Hakimi, who drew PSG level late in the first half to cancel out the 20th-minute freekick from Branco van den Boomen that had put Toulouse ahead.

PSG was without injured forwards Kylian Mbappe and Neymar and relied heavily on Messi, who hit the post during stoppage time. Without Messi, who has hit 98 goals for Argentina, PSG would have really struggled.

"Messi was a very important driving force for us, given his goal and the chances he created. I'm asking the team to play for him and to work for him. He must be relieved of certain duties," coach Christophe Galtier said. "His teammates must intensify their efforts to win the ball back and to create spaces, so that he can spray his passes around."

With Bayern Munich coming up on Feb 14 in the first leg of their round-of-16 game in the Champions League, PSG needs Messi to be in good form.

Mbappe is out for at least three weeks after sustaining a left thigh tear, while Neymar is having treatment for a sore adductor and missed his second straight game. PSG's injury woes were exacerbated when Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches went off early with a thigh injury.

PSG had lost two and drawn one of its previous five matches, and fell behind in the 20th minute, when Van den Boomen's freekick from the right flew past stranded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into the left corner.

After Marquinhos hit the post with a header from Messi's corner, PSG equalized with a fine 20-meter strike from Hakimi in the 38th.

But Marquinhos appeared offside on Messi's goal, to the frustration of sarcastic-sounding Toulouse coach Philippe Montanier.

"I don't know the rules of refereeing so well, but I did play in goal for 30 years," he said. "So I know that it's difficult when a player gets in the way of the ball."

Injury woes pile up

But Christophe Galtier's side has other issues, with Sergio Ramos unable to play, Marco Verratti suspended, and Renato Sanches forced to come off in tears just 12 minutes into the game.

"It is not just two players we are missing. There is not only Kylian and 'Ney', but also Marco Verratti and Sergio Ramos," Galtier told broadcaster Amazon Prime.

"Leo is holding the team together," he added.

"He naturally takes on the role of leader, and he did so in midweek too. He was so important to the way we played. He takes the initiative. We need to give him the ball even more."

Portugal midfielder Sanches was starting for just the fifth time since joining from Lille at the start of the season, but had to come off with what looked like a hamstring injury.

He was replaced by teenage defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu, with Danilo Pereira moving up into the midfield, and the substitute was partly responsible when PSG fell behind.

Bitshiabu was booked for bringing down Zakaria Aboukhlal 25 meters from goal, resulting in the Van den Boomen freekick that put the visitors ahead.

Agencies