Lionel Messi scored a superb second-half winner as a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) side missing the injured Kylian Mbappe and Neymar came from behind to beat Toulouse 2-1 on Saturday and consolidate their lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Dutch midfielder Branco van den Boomen gave mid-table Toulouse the lead at the Parc des Princes from a 20th-minute free-kick, only for Achraf Hakimi to curl in the equalizer with half-time approaching.

Messi then put PSG in front just before the hour mark with a glorious first-time strike on his left foot low into the corner of the net from just outside the area.

It was Messi’s 10th Ligue 1 goal of the season and his 15th for his club this campaign, as the World Cup winner stepped up in the absence of PSG’s two other superstar attackers.

“Leo is holding the team together,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier told broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“It is not just two players we are missing. There are Kylian and ‘Ney’ but also Marco Verratti and Sergio Ramos,” he added.

“He takes on the role of leader naturally, and he did so in midweek too. He was so important to the way we played. He takes the initiative. We need to give him the ball even more.”

Source: news.cgtn.com