Physical dosage knowing that your team is the comfortable leader of Ligue 1 at the gates of the most decisive stretch of the season?
Or a message sent to
Kylian Mbappé
that “the team takes priority over all individuality”, as the Spanish coach
Luis Enrique
had expressed ?
In any case,
Paris Saint Germain
avoided a problem thanks to the striker's decisive tackle in the second half, who earned a penalty after a foul in the area by Nathan Zézé.
Impervious to the pressure, Mbappé did not fail and celebrated by staring into the camera.
All after having started sitting on the substitute bench and coming on with 30 minutes left in the game.
All after the scorer of the last World Cup announced to his Qatari boss, Nasser Al Khelaifi, that he will leave the club in June.
Thus, with a first goal from Lucas Hernández and that shot from the 12 steps provoked and converted by Mbappé, PSG beat Nantes 2-0 as a visitor and is provisionally 14 points ahead of Nice (2nd), which lost 1-0 in Lyon on Friday.
Although he seemed to show a serious face upon his arrival at the Beaujoire stadium, Mbappé flashed a smile when converting the penalty, which marked his 21st goal in Ligue 1.
Fortunately for the Parisians, Nantes wasted numerous scoring chances, most of them saved by the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who also had help from a stick.
In addition to Mbappé, another of the strongholds of PSG's offensive line, Ousmane Dembélé, also began the clash on the bench, whose entry onto the pitch also contributed to giving the team more dynamism.
Canadian Jonathan David.
Photo: DENIS CHARLET / AFP
And if Mbappé is the top scorer in the French championship, he follows him with ten goals minus a trio that includes Lille's Canadian striker Jonathan David, who this Saturday scored his team's three goals in their home victory against Le Havre ( 3-0).
A victory that allows the team from northern France (38 points) to provisionally climb to third place in the French championship, awaiting the Monaco and Brest matches on Sunday.
Paulo Fonseca's players moved within one point of Nice (2nd, 39 points).
Although their Portuguese coach refuses publicly to talk about the Champions League, the truth is that his team seems in a position to fight to finish the championship among the top four places.
The victory against Le Havre allows Lille to join PSG as the best in Ligue 1 at home (26 points), with eight wins in eleven games.
The one achieved this Saturday against the newly promoted Norman club was largely due to the effectiveness of Jonathan David, author of his second treble in Ligue 1 after the one achieved against Lyon (3-3) last season.
Substitute a week ago at the Parc des Princes, the center forward justified the trust of his coach, who often alternates between the Canadian and the Turkish Yusuf Yazici this season.