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Mbappe, Neymar, but no Messi in Pulesports' Ligue 1 team of the week
There was no shortage of excitement in Ligue 1 this weekend, especially with Paris Saint-Germain and Lille playing out a cracker at the Parc de Prince.
In that game, Lionel Messi scored a 95th-minute freekick to win it for PSG, but that was not enough to earn him a place in PulseSports’ Ligue 1 team of the week for game week 24.
Who displaced Messi? Well, go ahead and find out below.
Goalkeeper: Kasper Schmeichel - (Nice) vs Reims
Kasper Schmeichel was Nice’s man of the match against Reims this weekend, even though he only had to make two saves in the entire game.
As you would have guessed if you did not see the game, one of the saves was incredibly important, and without it, Nice would have lost at home to Reims.
In the 55th minute of their match against Nice, Reims were awarded a penalty, and Schmeichel came face-to-face with the league’s top scorer at the time, Folarin Balogun, and he pulled off a remarkable save from the spot-kick to keep his side in the game.
Left-back: Deiver Machado - (Lens) vs Nantes
Lens returned to winning ways in Ligue 1 after a run of four matches without a win in the league, and a massive reason for that was wing-back Deiver Machado.
The Colombian struck the game’s opening goal with an outrageous curling effort to give Lens the lead and even set up another clear-cut chance for Florian Sotoca, who could not convert the easy chance.
Centre-back: Boubakar 'Kiki' Kouyate - Troyes vs (Montpellier)
Before Wahbi Khazri’s late winner, Montpellier were being kept in the game solely by the defensive efforts of Boubakar Kouyaté.
The Malian centre-back ensured that Troyes forwards did not get a sniff around the Montpellier goal, and put in one of the best defensive shifts this season.
Kouyate made seven clearances, made three interceptions, was successful with four tackles and won eight aerial duels for his side as he propelled Montpellier to their first clean sheet in five games.
Centre-back: Jonathan Gradit - (Lens) vs Nantes
Another incredible defensive display was seen in Lens’ 3-1 win over Nantes, and although it did not end in a clean sheet, it is still worthy of recognition.
Centre-back Jonathan Gradit was in the middle of everything good for Lens at the back, and he recorded six clearances, four interceptions, and two successful tackles from two attempts as he held his own in defence.
He also supported Lens’ strategy of building up from the back and was a consistent outlet, recording 88 touches and 73 passes, which were the second-most touches and passes in the entire game.
Right-back: Jordan Lotomba (Nice) vs Reims
Jordan Lotomba was in great spirits against Reims for Nice in Ligue 1 this weekend, bombing forward whenever he could and causing problems for the opponents.
Lotomba completed a record nine take-ons for a Ligue 1 defender since such data started being collected and played 24 passes into the final third as he tried to drive Nice’s attack forward.
Centre-midfield: Andre Gomes: Paris Saint-Germain vs (Lille)
Lille might have eventually fallen to the mighty PSG in their enthralling Ligue 1 encounter, but the performance from deep from Andre Gomes was breathtaking.
He assisted two of Lille’s three goals and also gave a good account of himself in the middle of the park.
The former Barcelona man had the most touches in the game and made the most passes as well. He also had as many shot-creating actions (5) as both Messi and Mbappe in the match. Needless to say, nobody on the pitch had more.
Left-wing: Kylian Mbappe - (Paris Saint-Germain) vs Lille
Easily the player of the week, Mbappe was on another level for PSG against Lille in PSG’s 4-3 win at the Parc de Prince.
The forward scored twice for PSG, first giving them the lead with a sensational goal and then clawing them back level after the advantage had been lost.
The France international was in top gear, and his first goal, where he left two Lille defenders for dead, will no doubt be one of the goals of the month.
His swift move to lose two markers at once was just one of Mbappe’s eight completed take-ons in the game.
Attacking midfield: Neymar - (Paris Saint-Germain) vs Lille
Neymar’s injury against Lille has PSG sweating over a return date, and his first-half performance will leave you in little confusion as to why.
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Neymar’s pass found Mbappe for the first PSG goal with a brilliant pass, and then he followed that up by putting PSG two goals clear after a neat move that ended with a one-two with midfielder Vitinha.
The Brazilian forward was in the mood to party against Lille, but sadly, an injury cut short his enjoyment to only 51 minutes. However, his display in those 51 minutes was more than enough to earn him a spot in the team of the week.
Right-wing: Cengiz Under - Toulouse vs (Marseille)
Cengiz Under was Marseille’s man of the match as they battled to a victory against Toulouse in game week 24.
The 25-year-old forward drew Marseille level with a brilliant volley from a loose ball in the penalty area and was a constant menace to the Toulouse defence.
He completed the most dribbles in the game, and the most progressive carries for Marseille, as they eventually found a way past stubborn Toulouse to win 3-2.
Centre-forward: Habib Diallo - (Strasbourg) vs Angers
Habib Diallo went two years without scoring a brace, and now he has scored two braces in the same month for Strasbourg.
The Senegalese striker netted his 11th and 12th goals of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season to give Strasbourg a crucial 2-1 win that lifted them out of the relegation zone
Diallo struck twice in the first half with two ‘striker’s goals’ as he pounced at the near post to make it 1-0 and took advantage of a mix-up in the Angers' defence to score his second of the match.
Centre-forward: Arnaud Kalimuendo - (Rennes) vs Clermont
Rennes climbed above Lille into the final European spot for next season after ending their three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Clermont and they had Arnaud Kalimuendo to thank for both goals.
The 20-year-old forward scored a goal in either half to become the fourth youngest player to reach 25 goals in Ligue 1 this century, after Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Djibril Cisse.
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