Mbappe-Messi double act powers PSG to easy win
World Cup foes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe inspired Paris St Germain to a 3-0 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille on Sunday to extend their Ligue 1 lead to eight points.
Mbappe, who bagged a double, was set up by Messi for both his goals, and repaid the favour by laying on another for the Argentine forward as PSG, who were without the injured Neymar, moved to 60 points from 25 games with second-placed Marseille on 52.
France forward Mbappe, who was on the losing side against Messi's Argentina in the World Cup final, became PSG's joint record scorer with 200 goals - level with Edinson Cavani - while Messi netted his 700th in club football.
"We were aggressive, we put intensity into the game, that's what we'd been missing," said PSG centre back Sergio Ramos.
Marseille coach Igor Tudor said he did not regret his side's high-risk approach.
"Why should we have changed our way of playing? It has been working well this season," he said.
"Mbappe's presence didn't change anything. His presence made it more difficult for us to play our game but we were not going to change it."
Third-placed Monaco slumped to a 3-0 home defeat against Nice, who prevailed thanks to a Terem Moffi double and a superb half-volley by Khephren Thuram.
The result left Monaco on 50 points, ahead of fourth-placed RC Lens on goals scored after the northerners drew 1-1 at Montpellier on Saturday.
PSG, who were knocked out of the French Cup in the last 16 by Marseille earlier this month, ended a three-game losing streak in all competitions by beating Lille last weekend and they were focused throughout at the Velodrome.
They suffered an early injury blow when Presnel Kimpembe, who missed the World Cup for France with an Achilles issue, left the pitch on a stretcher, two weeks after making his comeback from a three-month layoff.
Matteo Guendouzi created danger as Marseille pressed high and hard but they were exposed on the counter and the hosts were punished in the 25th minute when Messi played Mbappe through for the France forward to race into the area and beat Pau Lopez with a low shot.
The roles were reversed four minutes later as Mbappe delivered a pin-point cross for Messi, who tapped in from point-blank range to double the advantage in front of an all-time Ligue 1 record attendance of 65,800.
Messi then missed a sitter and Mbappe was denied by Lopez after being found in the area by the Argentine again, just before Marquinhos's angled shot went just wide as Marseille were again caught on the break.
Messi beautifully lifted the ball into the path of Mbappe, who volleyed home with his left foot for his 16th goal of the season in Ligue 1.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a spectacular save from Nuno Tavares's header in the 67th to snuff out any hope of a Marseille comeback as PSG secured a first clean sheet in six league games.
PSG next face Nantes at home before travelling to Bayern Munich for their Champions League last-16 return leg after losing the first encounter 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.
Barcelona suffer shock loss at Almeria
Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almeria on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Toure.
Barca are top of the league standings on 59 points, seven ahead second-placed Real Madrid who were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Almeria are 15th on 25 points, two clear of the relegation zone.
Almeria halted Barca's seven game winning streak in the league and delivered another blow to the Catalans who, after going unbeaten in 18 matches in all competitions, have now lost two straight matches after being knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday.
The hosts were the better side in the first half and scored after 24 minutes when Luis Suarez sent a perfect long pass to Toure who was ghosting behind Barca's defence. The Malian striker ran towards the area and hit a thunderous strike in off the crossbar.
It was only the eighth goal Barcelona have conceded in LaLiga this season, the least of any team in the top five leagues in Europe.
Almeria should have extended their lead but Leo Baptistao's strike was blocked by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Rodrigo Ely then missed a sitter from close-range, sending wide a header from a corner when he was all alone in the area.
"I'm very angry because I think we made the worst game of the season by far, mainly in the first half," Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus.
"We were not good and wasted a great opportunity in a match we could not afford to lose after what happened to Real Madrid.
"It was a golden opportunity today and it ended with a really bad day for us. No excuses, it was the worst showing of our side in the entire season."
Xavi made five substitutions after the break, but Barca could not beat a disciplined Almeria defence.
Almeria, who had won only one of their last eight matches, held on to secure the three precious points as they bid to avoid relegation.
Bayern ease past rivals Union to stay top
Bayern Munich struck three times in a punishing first half to ease past Union Berlin 3-0 on Sunday to confirm their status as title favourites and leave the Berliners, following their first league loss of the year, three points behind.
Bayern successfully bounced back from last week's loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach, delivering a supreme first half performance that kept them in first place on 46 points, ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Union are third on 43.
There was more good news for the Bavarians with forward Sadio Mane making his comeback after more than three months as a second-half substitute following his injury in November.
Bayern, who host Paris St Germain on March 8 for their Champions League last 16 return leg, delivered punch after punch in a fierce start, giving their opponents no chance to chance.
"This was a very active game," said Bayern's Thomas Mueller who played his 650th match for the club in all comeptitions. "It is this activity that we need in order to play our game.
"We combined really well and moved well. Now we have to keep delivering every week. It was a small start to the way we want to play football."
The champions were in complete control with about 70% possession and Mueller failed to connect in front of goal after superb early work from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the fifth minute.
Choupo-Moting did it better in the 31st, looping his header from a Kingsley Coman cross over goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow for the lead. The Cameroon striker, who scored for the first time against Union, has now found the back of the net against every current team in the German top-flight.
Coman then turned scorer, rounding the keeper to slot in their second before Jamal Musiala turned in a Mueller cutback in stoppage time to kill off the game after 45 minutes and celebrate his 20th birthday with his 11th league goal.
Union, who had won five of their six previous league games in 2023 to remain in the title race, were on the backfoot after the break as well and had keeper Ronnow to thank for keeping the score low with a string of outstanding saves.
In Sunday's other match, Freiburg drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen to drop to fifth place on 41 points.
Milan seal 2-0 win over Atalanta
Champions AC Milan beat visitors Atalanta 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday, consolidating their position in the top four as they extended their winning streak to three league outings.
Milan, who have now won four consecutive games in all competitions for the first time this season, moved up to third in the standings on 47 points.
They are level with second-placed Inter Milan and three points above AS Roma, who visit bottom side Cremonese on Tuesday.
"We were (recently) always winning 1-0, but you can't always hope not to concede goals," coach Stefano Pioli, who oversaw his 800th career game as a manager, told DAZN.
"We should have closed it earlier, but it was a great performance by the team. We played it with the energy that I recognise in my players.
"(But) It's clear that we still need to score a lot of points to finish in the top four".
Pioli's side took the lead in the 25th minute through an own goal by Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Milan defender Theo Hernandez sent a powerful first-time strike from distance which hit the inside of the post, and the ball went in off Musso's back when he leaped to save it.
Milan forward Rafael Leao tried an individual effort in a counter-attack eight minutes later but narrowly missed the target.
The Portugal international went on to send the ball over the crossbar in the 37th minute after he was set up inside the box by Brahim Diaz.
Atalanta were under pressure for most of the first half and did not muster an attempt on goal before halftime.
They fired no shots in a Serie A first half for the first time since 2004-05, when Opta started collecting such data.
Milan managed seven shots but seemed far more focused on defending than increasing their advantage.
They kept the pressure on, though, and Musso made a brilliant save to keep out a Leao effort from distance in the 61st minute.
Moments before that, he did well to deny Olivier Giroud who, however, was offside -- and was substituted by returning striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic soon after.
Midfielder Junior Messias doubled Milan's lead shortly before fulltime when he sent a chipped ball over Musso after receiving a neat pass from Leao.
Atalanta, who lost for third time in their last four Serie A outings, had zero shots on target throughout the game.
"We tried everything, but Milan's dimension tonight was superior to ours," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
They remain sixth in the standings on 41 points and next host Udinese on Saturday. Milan travel to Fiorentina later that day.
