PARIS: Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi scored a goal each as French league leader Paris Saint-Germain profited from a red card to beat second-place Lens 3-1 and move nine points clear of its rival.
It was an extra special goal for Mbappé. Earlier this season he became PSG’s all-time leading scorer when he beat Edinson Cavani’s 200-goal mark. Mbappé’s strike on Saturday against Lens made the 24-year-old France striker the outright all-time top scorer for PSG in the league with 139 goals. Cavani netted 138.
Overall, Mbappé now counts 203 for PSG.
Marseille can go above Lens with a home win against struggling Troyes on Sunday, with seven games left after this weekend’s round.
Lens was in complete control until midfielder Salis Abdul Samed was sent off for a reckless challenge on right back Achraf Hakimi in the 19th minute.
Mbappé scored his league-leading 20th goal when he took a pass from midfielder Vitinha and turned quickly before hitting a first-time shot into the bottom right corner in the 31st. Vitinha doubled the lead six minutes later with a 25-meter strike into the same corner.
Messi then combined in the 40th with Mbappé, who backheeled the ball to the Argentine for a low strike. It was Messi’s 15th league goal.
Lens played better than PSG in the second half, despite being a player down. A handball from PSG midfielder Fabian Ruiz following a corner gave Lens a penalty and Poland winger Przemysław Frankowski sent goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way in the 60th.
Lens’ 15-goal top scorer Loïs Openda had a shot saved in the 64th and then forced a corner as the visitors kept up the pressure.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier has been under pressure after eight defeats this year across all competitions, and this week vehemently denied allegations he had made racist and anti-Muslim comments when he was in charge of Nice last season.
The Parc des Princes crowd fell silent as Lens dominated early on, with Samed’s header smartly saved by Donnarumma after just two minutes.
PSG defender Danilo almost scored an embarrassing own-goal when his looping back pass from near halfway surprised Donnarumma in the 10th and bounced just wide.
The match turned in PSG’s favor when midfielder Samed lunged at Hakimi and caught his left ankle in a dangerous tackle.
Also Saturday, Rennes beat Reims 3-0 to move one point above Lille and into fifth place. Belgium winger Jérémy Doku scored twice for Rennes inside the first 20 minutes. Defender Arthur Theate made it 3-0 in the 69th.
Mbappé sets league goals record for PSG in 3-1 win vs Lens
https://arab.news/9ncc7
Mbappé sets league goals record for PSG in 3-1 win vs Lens
- Earlier this season he became PSG’s all-time leading scorer when he beat Edinson Cavani’s 200-goal mark
Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health
- Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions
- “What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said
MALAGA: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday it was “ugly” to speculate about the mental health of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions and is also involved in a multi-million euro pay dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Ancelotti was asked at his weekly press conference if the striker was struggling with pressure.
“What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said.
“I see him as happy to be here, if he is, he doesn’t show it, but I think speculating about problems of this type is a bit ugly.”
The forward was left out of France’s squad for recent Nations League matches for the second time in two months, and was linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, which Mbappe has denied.
France coach Didier Deschamps did not select the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Italy, saying “it was better that way.”
Ancelotti said he was confident Mbappe, who joined Madrid this summer at the end of his PSG deal, would find the net at the weekend away at minnows Leganes.
“There are always bad moments, all the great strikers have been through them, but he’s motivated and happy, and that’s all I can see,” continued Ancelotti.
“I’m convinced that he’s going to play a great match tomorrow and that all this will come to an end.
“He has extraordinary qualities, it’s just a matter of time.”
PSG beat Toulouse 3-0, Akliouche double gives Monaco home win over Brest
- The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, who came into the game in a more even second half
- The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain retained a six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a labored 3-0 home win over Toulouse on Friday.
The defending champion dominated the first half but it took until the 35th minute to open the scoring.
Young Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves spun to meet a cross from the right and struck a superb half volley from just outside the box.
Lucas Beraldo got a second with six minutes remaining when he pounced on loose ball and fired home.
Vitinha made it 3-0 in stoppage time when he showed fine footwork inside the box to finish off a quick counterattack.
The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, who came into the game in a more even second half.
Only Vitinha’s last-gasp tackle stopped Zakaria Aboukhlal from equalizing after 69 minutes and then Shavy Babicka blazed over from close range a minute later when he should have hit the target.
The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich.
PSG lie in 25th place in the 36-team Champions League table with one win in four matches and outside the playoff spots.
Monaco beat Brest
The win came immediately after second-placed Monaco beat Brest 3-2 to briefly close the gap at the top to three points.
Brest, who face Barcelona next week in the Champions League, turned in another inconsistent French league performance and not the sparkling form they have shown in Europe.
Brest have struggled in Ligue 1, where they remain 12th, but shone with three wins from four in their first-ever Champions League campaign.
It was behind after just five minutes on Friday when Maghnes Akliouche scored with a superb airborne volley, and 2-0 down after 24 minutes thanks to Aleksandr Golovin.
The Russian striker seized on a poor pass just outside the Brest penalty area and his low shot was perfectly placed to sneak in off the post and give him his first goal in nine league appearances.
On-loan Brighton striker Abdallah Sima used his 1.88-meter frame to outjump the Monaco defense four minutes into the second half and cut the deficit but Akliouche restored Monaco’s two-goal cushion when he brilliantly finished a quick counterattack in stoppage time.
Ludovic Ajorque got a second for Brest in the sixth minute of added time but it was not enough in a second half most notable for the red card shown to Brest coach Eric Roy.
Kane hat-trick sends Bayern eight points clear
- Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors
- With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review
MUNICH: A second-half Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over Augsburg on Friday, sending them eight clear atop the table ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors.
With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review.
Kane cooly converted to give Bayern the lead.
In stoppage time, Kane went down in the box after contact from Keven Schlotterbeck and Bayern were again awarded a penalty after a VAR review, which the 31-year-old converted.
Schlotterbeck was sent from the field after picking up a second yellow for his challenge.
Kane then added a third, this time controlling a cross and heading in, his seventh hat-trick since joining Bayern.
The England captain now has 14 goals in 11 league games for Bayern this season, five of which have come from the spot.
Leipzig can cut the gap back to five when they play at struggling Hoffenheim on Saturday, while defending champions Bayer Leverkusen host Heidenheim.
The German giants received a boost pre-match, with captain and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer cleared to start after missing training with a rib issue.
Bayern were in control of possession and field position but could not break through.
Augsburg offered little in attack but defended stoutly, holding Bayern’s glittering attacking riches at bay.
Augsburg goalie Nediljko Labrovic held firm to snuff out first-half chances from Jamal Musiaia and Leon Goretzka.
The Bavarian giants, still smarting after going trophyless for the first time in 11 seasons last campaign, eventually broke through with half an hour remaining, breaking Augsburg’s resolve.
Riding high in the league, Bayern have struggled in the Champions League format, sitting 17th after four games — six behind leaders Liverpool.
Tuesday’s home match with PSG, who are even further down the Champions League table, could be crucial for the German side in their top-eight bid to avoid the extra playoff round.
Teenage Lebanese international football star in coma after Israeli airstrike
- Celine Haidar ‘is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets … I call on all her fans and the Lebanese public to pray for her swift recovery,’ coach Samer Barbary tells Arab News
- Her father Abbas Haidar says: ‘Her doctors are saying she is in a critical situation … She has been in a coma for 6 days and doctors have been giving us contradictory signals’
DUBAI: The coach of 19-year-old Lebanese football sensation Celine Haidar, who is in a coma after suffering a serious head injury during an Israeli airstrike last weekend, on Friday called on fans to pray for her.
Samer Barbary told Arab News that Haidar has been in a critical but stable condition since she was injured on Nov. 16.
“She is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets and has got remarkable skills in her position as a central midfielder,” he said. “I call on all her fans and the Lebanese public to pray for her swift recovery.
Haidar, who is a youth international and captains her club, Beirut Football Academy, was hit by a piece of metal as she fled her home in Al-Chiyyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli warning of an imminent attack on the area, her father Abbas Haidar said.
“Our area has been subject to ongoing threats and bombardments,” he added, and so the family had moved to a safer location as a result.
“Celine is a very vibrant and sociable person and loved by all her teammates and schoolmates. She is the one who found us a house in Baakline (a mountainous area outside Beirut) through her friend … like everybody who has been displaced, we moved out.”
However, Haidar only remained in Baakline with her family for two days before returning to Al-Chiyyah so that she could continue to go to school and attend football training.
“I advised her not to go because the situation was dangerous but she is a persistent and lively person,” her father said. “Whenever the Israelis threatened to hit, she would leave home and then return later. On Saturday (Nov. 16), I called her at 10 a.m. and told her there was a threat.”
A few hours later, he received a telephone call from a stranger who told him his daughter was in hospital.
“Her doctors are saying she is in a critical situation,” he told Arab News. “We are praying for her recovery and following up on her medical developments so closely. She has been in a coma for six days and doctors have been giving us contradictory signals.”
Coach Barbary said: “She sustained a serious fracture to her skull and underwent major surgery on Saturday. She is fighting for her life but her situation hasn’t worsened.”
Haidar was initially admitted to Saint Therese Medical Center in Hadath, south of Beirut, but it was “not safe at all and was affected by an airstrike,” Barbary said, so she was transferred to the city’s Saint George Hospital.
Rising star Haidar represented her country as a member of the under-19 women’s national team who won the 2022 West Asia Cup, hosted by Lebanon, and has been selected to play for the senior national team.
“Celine is one of the best football midfielders in Lebanon … she is consistent, stable and a leader,” said Barbary, who coaches the BFA team.
“Before joining BFA three years ago, she played for Safa Club and won with them the Lebanese National League. She has contributed a lot to us, especially in the under-19 championship that we won. She also played a major role in us winning the 2024 league unbeaten.”
Haidar’s club posted a message on Instagram on Tuesday updating fans on her condition, saying: “As stated by her doctors to our team, currently, Celine’s condition is stable and the intracranial bleeding is under control.”
In another post, the club said: “Yesterday, (Thursday) during a heartfelt ceremony, her teammates lit candles and we united in a moment of reflection, thoughts and prayers for her recovery.
“As we honored Lebanon’s strength this year, our dedication was for Celine, whose strength inspires us all. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to rally together for her recovery.”
‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
- Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself”
- “I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do“
MANCHESTER: New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes ahead of his debut against Ipswich on Sunday.
Amorim was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portugese titles during his four years in Lisbon.
But United have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge 11 years ago.
Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset.
“I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”
After arriving in Manchester during the international break, Amorim will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich this weekend.
He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and underperforming squad.
“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment,” he added.
Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on November 11.
The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what Amorim has already started to realize about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.
“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said.
“This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”
Amorim’s rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto.
Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.
“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho.
“With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.
“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.”
Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.
“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile.
“This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”
Acknowledging United’s numerous flaws, Amorim knows he faces a massive task to catch up the likes of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
“We have space to grow as a team. We have to improve in a lot of areas,” he said.
“If you want to speak about the team and the way we play, we lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details.
“We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”
