In the final match in Ligue 1 in 2023, PSG had no difficulty defeating Metz – the opponent who lost to them in all 13 previous meetings. The home team held the ball 75% and scored three goals, including Mbappe’s double. The 3-1 victory helped PSG maintain a five-point gap with second-place Nice – the team also won in this round.
Mbappe’s first hattrick in Ligue 1 was scored against Metz and this team continued to bring another beautiful memory. for the French superstar. On his 25th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, Mbappe scored a superb curler from the edge of the penalty area in the 60th minute to help PSG increase the score to 2-0. The ball lightly touched the edge of the bar before flying into the net in the helplessness of goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja.
That wasn’t the only time Mbappe helped PSG create a two-goal gap. After Matthieu Udol helped Metz shorten the score with a reverse header into the far corner in the 72nd minute, Mbappe sealed the 3-1 victory in the 83rd minute by taking advantage of the opponent’s defender’s poor pass mistake. The 25-year-old striker accelerated and pushed the ball past Oukidja, before easily scoring into an empty net for his 18th goal of the tournament.
Besides Mbappe, Vitinha is also a prominent player on PSG’s side, with one goal and one assist for Mbappe at the beginning of the second half. The Portuguese midfielder helped the host open the score in the 49th minute, when he came in just in time to cushion the ball from Lee Kang-In’s cross. 11 minutes later, Vitinha also opened the ball to the wing for Mbappe to score a super goal.
The explosive second half made fans forget PSG’s ineffective first half. Mbappe still did not seem comfortable being placed as a striker and did not leave much of an impression in the first 45 minutes. PSG’s defense still does not make fans feel secure, as they are often in bad positions during their opponents’ counterattacks. Danilo Pereira even almost burned his own net when he headed the ball against the crossbar.
PSG leads Ligue 1 2023-2024 after the first leg. In the last eight times they did this, they were all champions. Luis Enrique and his team will have a two-week break before meeting Toulouse in the French Super Cup match on January 4, 2024.
