Wijnaldum rescues PSG after Lens leave Messi in a daze

PARIS - Georginio Wijnaldum's injury-time equaliser allowed Paris Saint-Germain to snatch a 1-1 draw away to Lens in Ligue 1 on
Saturday in a match which confirmed Lionel Messi's difficulties adapting to the physical nature of French football.

Messi was floored by a strong tackle and some PSG players stopped playing in the build-up to Seko Fofana's goal which gave Lens a 62nd-minute lead in northern France.

  It looked as if that would be enough for Lens to claim a victory which
would have been just reward for an outstanding performance that delighted the
crowd of close to 37,000.

  However, PSG equalised in the second minute of injury time as Kylian Mbappe
crossed for fellow substitute Wijnaldum to head home.

  It is a second draw in as many matches for the Qatar-owned club, who extend
their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points from Marseille, beaten 2-1 at
home by Brest earlier on Saturday.

  Despite their big lead at the top, it was yet another unsatisfactory
performance from Mauricio Pochettino's disjointed team of superstars, who
have usually had enough individual talent to get results this season but have
rarely convinced.

  "Lens is a very good team and very physical. They made us suffer. Overall I
think we knew how to suffer in different periods of the game and I think the
draw is a fair result," Pochettino told broadcaster Canal Plus.

  "It wasn't our best night but the effort was there and when the effort is
there you have to congratulate the players, but we know very well we need to
do better."

  It was a PSG side missing Neymar, who is out with an ankle injury and not
expected to return before mid-January, while their nine-goal top scorer
Mbappe was rested at kick-off before coming on to help save the day.

  Messi still has just one goal from nine Ligue 1 appearances and he
struggled to make his presence felt against an impressive Lens side who lie
fifth in the table.

  - Little impact -

  The Argentinian won his seventh Ballon d'Or at the start of the week but
made little impact in Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Nice and was little better
here, although he hit the post with a shot from outside the box early on.

  Angel Di Maria was also denied by an outstanding Jean-Louis Leca save in
stoppage time at the end of a first half in which Lens were the more
impressive side, and the hosts went ahead just after the hour.

  Facundo Medina won back possession with a crunching, but fair, challenge on
Messi, who stayed down.

  As Marco Verratti stopped and called for the ball to be put out, Lens
continued and former Manchester City midfielder Fofana let fly from outside
the area with a powerful shot that was fumbled into the net by Keylor Navas.

  David Pereira Da Costa then hit the post for Lens before Mbappe came on and
almost immediately had a header from Messi's flighted ball saved by Leca, who
was eventually beaten at the death by Wijnaldum.

  Earlier Marseille threw away the lead to lose at home to a Brest team on a
record winning run.

  Brazilian international Gerson opened the scoring in the first half for
Marseille with his second goal in as many games after playing a one-two with
Dimitri Payet.

  However, Brest levelled early in the second half as Romain Faivre scored a
penalty after a Boubacar Kamara handball.

  Franck Honorat then crashed a superb winner in off the underside of the
crossbar as the Brittany side made it six successive league wins, the best
run in their history in the top flight lifting them to sixth.

  A late Jimmy Giraudon own goal allowed reigning champions Lille to beat
Troyes 2-1 and rise to seventh.

  Before that the league's leading scorer Jonathan David equalised with his
11th goal of the season after Troyes had gone in front.

  Lille will qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek
provided they avoid defeat against Wolfsburg in Germany.BSS/AFP