'Unfair' victory over Reims revives Pochettino's Ligue-1 title hopes
PSG will head the final game week of the Ligue 1 in the second place of the table, only one point behind the leaders, Lille, thanks to a victory that seems 'unfair' to the Reims boss, David Guion.
With a 4-0 home victory over Reims on Sunday, the Parisians have put pressure on Lille ahead of the final week of this season’s Ligue 1 competitions.
Goals from Mbappe, Neymar, Keane, and Marquinhos gave the French giants a comfortable 4-0 victory over the 13th-placed Reims at Parc des Princes.
On the other end of the title race, Lille settled on a home draw with Saint Etienne to revive Paris Saint Germain’s title hopes. Mauricio Pochettino has attempted to put the pressure on Lille ahead of his side’s French Cup clash with Monaco.
"In football, the most important thing is to believe in it. Anything can happen," the Argentine told a post-match press conference.
"We must do our work on our side in Brest and hope that Lille does not win in Angers.
"We must first focus on the final against Monaco, and then we will hope that Angers takes points against Lille."
Asked whether the Parisians successive Ligue 1 glories will give his side an advantage over Lille or not, Pochettino said: "It is clear that teams with more experienced players start with an advantage (for this type of high-stakes game), which is our case, but Lille have very experienced players too.
"In my opinion, it depends on the players. state of form and performance of players, more than psychological pressure."
Neymar gave PSG an early lead over Reims by scoring in the 13th-minute from the spot. Although the Reims’ boss, David Guion, thought the penalty was well-awarded, he questioned the referee’s decision on showing Abdelhamid in the 10th-minute.
“Eleven against XI against Paris, it's already difficult," Guion said post-match. "After this incomprehensible decision by Mr. Turpin, the task became impossible.
"It's unfair, this decision is not in the spirit of the game. There is a penalty, nothing to say, but the double penalty with the red card, while the strike is not even on target ...
"Afterwards, it is clear that the match was over for us. At half-time, we had to calm the players who were nervous. I told the president about it (to challenge), the decision must be reviewed."
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