Twitter explodes as Lionel Messi assists Kylian Mbappe twice to help PSG cruise to 3-0 win over 10-man Nantes

A strong showing from Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) saw them dominate Nantes, who were down to 10 men after Fabio received his marching orders in the 24th minute.

It may not have been too impressive, with the Parisians widely expected to beat their hosts on the night, but they still took all three points and put themselves back on top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 win.

Although they dominated much of the first half, especially in the opposition half, PSG struggled to find the required clinical quality they last had against Lille. While quite a few chances were missed, the Parisians did open the scoring in the 18th minute with Kylian Mbappe producing a brilliant curler.

It was Lionel Messi who played the provider, with the Argentine maestro running down the channel before finding the Frenchman, whose sublime finish entered the top corner.

Nantes shot themselves in the foot by going down to 10 men and essentially decimating any hopes of a comeback. The red card was handed to Fabio, whose high-studded challenge dropped Vitinha. The new PSG signing eventually had to be substituted off, unable to continue the game.

PSG become even more clinical in the second half, with Lionel Messi providing two assists

Less than 10 minutes after the start of the second half, the Parisians' continued their spell of domination and had their efforts rewarded as Mbappe scored the second goal of the game.

The French forward was assisted once more by Lionel Messi, whose playmaker role for the Parisians has yielded fruit since the Argentine moved to Paris.

This time around, it was Mbappe who started off the move, driving forward through the middle to seek out a scoring opportunity. The forward laid it on for his Argentine teammate, who was able to square it back into the box for Mbappe to finish off.

While he was deemed offside, a VAR check ensured the goal stood, cementing an impressive partnership between Mbappe and Messi.

The third goal of the game came from Nuno Mendes, with the wingback maurauding relentlessly down his flank and constantly threatening Nantes' defense. His movement into the final third was eventually rewarded when he latched onto a rebound and took a shot into the top corner.

It might have been Neymar's goal, but the Brazil international hit the woodwork and the ball found Mendes.

About the author

Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.

Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.

Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.

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