Paris beats Saint-Etienne, in match marking PSG debut of Spain’s Sergio Ramos
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Paris Saint-Germain overturned an early deficit to beat 10-man Saint-Etienne 3-1 away in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with Lionel Messi setting up all three goals. The game featured Spanish defender Sergio Ramos’s debut for PSG.
Lionel Messi set up all three goals as PSG stretched their Ligue 1 lead to 14 points with a 3-1 comeback win at 10-man St Etienne as Neymar sustained a possible ankle injury and was taken off on a stretcher on Sunday.
The result put the capital side on 40 points from 15 games, with third-placed Rennes having a chance to leapfrog Nice into second when they travel to Lorient later on Sunday.
St Etienne, who mounted on a decent challenge despite being a man down as snow fell on the Geoffroy Guichard stadium, are now bottom of the standings with 12 points.
Ramos’s nagging calf injury
Ramos, 35, joined the club back in July, but has suffered from a nagging calf injury since.
Ramos arrived at PSG with a glittering CV, having won the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships with Spain, and four Champions League trophies with Real Madrid.
“He’s been with the first team squad for two weeks now, he needs games and to adapt to a new league,” PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Saturday.
Pochettino had been expected to name Ramos in his side for the midweek Champions League away match at Manchester City, which ended with PSG suffering a tame 2-1 defeat.
But with PSG well on their way to reclaiming the Ligue 1 crown with an 11-point lead at the top of the French top flight, Ramos will enter the fray in a less hostile environment Sunday.
Second-bottom Saint-Etienne should be more forgiving opponents than City, although Les Verts are on a four-game unbeaten run after back-to-back wins.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
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