Di Maria Shines, Messi Injured as PSG Beat Lille to Go 10 Points Clear

Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring PSG's late winner against Lille. (AFP)
Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring PSG's late winner against Lille. (AFP)
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Di Maria Shines, Messi Injured as PSG Beat Lille to Go 10 Points Clear

Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring PSG's late winner against Lille. (AFP)
Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring PSG's late winner against Lille. (AFP)

Angel Di Maria showed his worth as he set up the first and scored the winner to give Paris St Germain a 2-1 win against champions Lille in Ligue 1 after Lionel Messi limped off injured on Friday.

In the absence of Kylian Mbappe, who is suffering from an infection, Di Maria shone throughout the game, providing captain Marquinhos with the equalizer after Jonathan David's opener before finding the back of the net two minutes from time.

After Messi left the pitch early in the second half with a muscle problem, the Argentine winger found his range to put leaders PSG on 31 points from 12 games, 10 ahead of second-placed RC Lens.

Lille, who would have deserved better after a convincing first half, are 11th with 15 points.

Both teams went end-to-end in an entertaining opening half but Lille showed more poise and it took a superb save from Gianluigi Donnarumma to deny Burak Yilmaz in the first minute.

Lille, looking more like the team that dominated the league last season, were rewarded in the 31st minute when David opened his right foot to deflect Yilmaz's powerful cross into the roof of the net from point-blank range.

Messi, who has yet to score for PSG in five league appearances, was replaced one minute into the second half by Mauro Icardi, as he appeared to be still suffering from the muscle problem that forced him to miss training with the team on Thursday.

Lille came close to doubling the tally through David but Donnarumma pulled another brilliant save to keep the home side afloat.

The Italy keeper was at it again to tip away a whipped shot from Yilmaz shortly before the hour.

But Angel Di Maria and Neymar were a constant threat as PSG started to pile the pressure. It paid off in the 74th minute when Marquinhos latched onto a superb lofted cross from Di Maria to make it 1-1.

PSG came close to gaining the advantage five minutes from time but Ivo Grbic parried Icardi's low shot with his right foot.

The winner came shortly after when Di Maria coolly slotted the ball past Grbic with a low shot from Neymar's pass inside the box.



Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)

Holder Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Italian Open to American Danielle Collins after a 6-1 7-5 third-round loss on Saturday in a major upset that will cost the Pole the world number two ranking as the defense of her French Open title looms.

Swiatek held a commanding 7-1 head-to-head record against Collins before the contest and yet another early defeat does not bode well for the 23-year-old, who has not won a tournament since her fourth triumph at Roland Garros last year.

"I played against Iga so many times ... When you play that many close matches and get this close and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot," Collins, 31, said. "I feel like I applied that today, to the match."

Five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek went 5-0 down in the opening set before getting on the board to avoid a bagel.

Collins was lethal from the baseline, mixing it up with forehand and backhand service return winners as she picked apart Swiatek's serve in an opening set that was one-way traffic.

The second was level at 4-4 as Swiatek showed flashes of brilliance, but 31-year-old 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins showed no mercy, sealing victory in one hour and 44 minutes when a return went wide.

Collins fired 32 winners and converted six of eight break points while Swiatek, who had won the tournament three times in the last four years, made 22 unforced errors.

Swiatek has lost nine matches this year - as many as in all of 2024 - while she has not reached a claycourt final ahead of her bid to retain the French Open title later this month.