Paris Saint Germain are gearing up for the highly-anticipated League 1 game against Marseille. Ahead of the crucial away fixture, which is set to be held on February 27, a heated moment transpired between Lionel Messi and Vitinha during a PSG training session, L’Equipe reported. The Paris unit was divided into two teams and they were involved in a practice match with Messi and Vitinha playing for either side. During the friendly game, Portuguese midfielder Vitinha went on to attempt some harsh tackles on Messi. The unnecessary challenges irked the Argentine forward. Even after being warned multiple times by Messi, Vitinha did not step back, resulting in a confrontation between the two teammates.
In their previous League 1 match, PSG registered a nail-biting 4-3 victory against Lille with Messi delivering the match-winning strike. The neck-to-neck battle moved past the 90-minute mark with the scoreboard reading 3-3. In the 92nd minute, PSG was awarded a free kick just outside the opposition penalty box. Messi stepped forward to take it and successfully sendt the dead ball into Lille’s net.
Vitinha, while speaking to the media after the match, addressed Messi’s last-gasp free kick and revealed the PSG squad’s reaction to it. The 23-year-old midfielder said, “Even when we don’t win, everyone feels it. Every member of our squad wants to win. After Messi’s goal today, everyone felt a sense of liberation. We really wanted to win and it was good that we did it.”
Vitinha : « Même quand nous ne gagnons pas, tout le monde le ressent, tout le monde veut gagner. Sur le but de Messi, tout le monde a eu cette sensation de libération. Nous voulons vraiment gagner. C’est bon de l’avoir fait aujourd'hui. » #PSG @GoalFrance pic.twitter.com/fPST703O7e— Marc Mechenoua (@LeMechenoua) February 19, 2023
Lionel Messi and Vitinha both have been crucial components for PSG this season. During his 16 appearances so far, Messi has recorded 16 goals and 14 assists. On the other hand, Vitinha, who joined the French giants at the beginning of the season, has already played 33 matches in the PSG shirt. Among them, Christophe Galtier preferred him in the starting eleven in 28 games.
Looking at their upcoming game, PSG will look to get the better of Marseille in order to get a stronghold of the top place in the League 1 standings. They are currently occupying the place with 57 points in 24 games, while Marseille are second in the tally, only 5 points behind the table topper.
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