Paris: Memphis Depay struck a dramatic late winner as Lyon beat 10-man Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 on Sunday to move within eight points of the Ligue 1 leaders. Nabil Fekir gave the hosts a shock second-minute lead at Groupama Stadium with a brilliant free-kick, but PSG snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time as left-back Layvin Kurzawa hammered home a stunning volley. PSG full-back Dani Alves was given a straight red card for dissent, and Lyon made their man advantage count deep into injury-time as substitute Depay picked out the top corner.
Lyon retook second place from Marseille after inflicting only a second league defeat of the season on PSG.
With Neymar missing due to a thigh problem, Kylian Mbappe returned to the away team’s starting XI after scoring as a substitute in the midweek 8-0 thrashing of Dijon, when Neymar netted four times.
Lyon caught the runaway league leaders cold with less than two minutes on the clock, as French international Fekir produced a moment of magic.
Alphonse Areola was anticipating a cross when Fekir shaped to take a free-kick from the right-hand side, but the attacking midfielder whipped in a shot that flicked the inside of the post on its way past the stranded PSG goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old has now scored 16 league goals this season from 19 appearances, while it was also the earliest PSG had conceded in a Ligue 1 game since May 2007.
PSG were rocked by Lyon’s intense early pressing, but Edinson Cavani, looking for the goal he needed to break Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s all-time club goalscoring record after levelling the Swede’s total of 156 on Wednesday, saw a long-range lob spin narrowly wide after home keeper Anthony Lopes’s poor clearance.
Mbappe, already bleeding from his head from an earlier challenge, had to be stretchered off and replaced by Julian Draxler after being flattened by some strong goalkeeping from Portuguese Lopes.
PSG levelled in first-half stoppage-time, though, as Kurzawa blasted home a magnificent left-footed volley off the crossbar from his fellow full-back Alves’s dinked cross.
Unai Emery’s side were reduced to 10 men before the hour mark when Brazilian Alves was sent off for dissent after becoming incensed by a free-kick decision, with Marco Verratti perhaps lucky not to follow him after knocking the red card out of referee Clement Turpin’s hand.
— AFP
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