Star forwards Neymarand Edinson Cavani argued over who should take a penalty kick as Paris Saint-Germainextended their perfect record in the French league to six matches with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Lyon on Sunday.
Facing their stiffest challenge this season against the seven-time champions, PSG needed two own-goals from Lyon defenders Marcelo and Jeremy Morel.
PSG now lead defending champion Monaco by three points.
PSG enjoyed most of the possession but their attacking “MCN” trident of Kylian Mbappe, Cavani and Neymar was not as flamboyant as in previous matches. Lyon defended well and prevented Neymar from making his mark while Cavani had only a few touches.
Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes made several decisive saves and sent a penalty kick from Cavani onto the bar in the 79th minute. Moments before, Cavani and Neymar had been seen arguing about who should take the penalty.
A few minutes before that, Cavani had tried to take a free kick but Neymar’s good friend and fellow Brazilian Dani Alves took the ball and gave it to the former Barcelona star.
Cavani thrived last season as PSG’s main striker, finishing as the French league’s top scorer and bagging a remarkable 49 goals in 50 games across all competitions. Neymar’s arrival from Barcelona for a world record 222 million euros ($262 million) has taken the spotlight away from him.
TimesofIndia.com
