Finn Russell admitted Scotland should not have got themselves into a position for the officials to effectively decide the outcome of their dramatic Guinness Six Nations match against France.
Ben White’s try gave Scotland a seventh-minute lead and they felt they should have been more than 16-10 in front by the time the French – who had prop Uini Atonio sin-binned just before half-time – turned Saturday’s game in their favour in the closing 10 minutes.
Les Bleus – whose tries came from Gael Fickou and Louis Bielle-Biarrey – held on for a 20-16 victory but only after an astonishing finale in which Scotland were convinced substitute Sam Skinner had scored a match-winning try in the game’s last action.
Referee Nic Berry’s initial call was “no try” and after several minutes of deliberating with TMO Brian MacNeice amid incredible tension, it looked like they were about to award the score before eventually deciding the images were inconclusive.
The Scots were livid but co-captain Russell conceded the game should never have boiled down to that last-gasp flashpoint.
“Personally I believe it was a try at the end, but it’s up to the referee to decide that,” said the stand-off.
“We can’t let the referee decide what happens in a game, it’s up to us to play better and make these matches a victory.”
Although disappointed, Russell believes it was a sign of Scotland’s resilience that they almost dug out victory despite relinquishing their long-held lead in the closing stages.
“It was a bit of magic from France (for Bielle-Biarrey’s 70th-minute try), but I think the way we got back into the game and the way I believe that we scored, it shows the character we’ve got,” he said.
“We didn’t lose belief when we fell four points down with three minutes left. I’m proud of the boys for the performance but we need to take our learnings from it going into the England game.”
The Scots host their old rivals a week on Saturday knowing they will need a Calcutta Cup victory to hoist themselves back into championship contention.
“We’ll take it easy next week,” said Russell. “Some of the boys have got to train, some haven’t. We just need some time away from rugby. It’s an intense competition.
“We’ll take some time away and then come back to get ready for that England game. A massive challenge awaits us and we’ll need to be ready.”
One man who may have played his way into contention for the England showdown is 22-year-old Edinburgh back Harry Paterson, who produced an impressive debut after being summoned to start at full-back on the morning of the match when Kyle Steyn’s wife went into labour.
“It’s one of the best debuts I’ve ever seen,” said head coach Gregor Townsend. “Going up against that French backline on a wet day at Murrayfield, he was excellent.
“I gave him a heads-up that he could be playing about 9am then confirmed it at 10am.
“To play like that was fantastic and gives us a lot of encouragement about where Harry can go over these next few years.
“He knew he’d have a lot of kicks to field due to the way France play and with the weather being wet, but he just got stronger and stronger as the game went on.
“But Kyle Rowe deserves a mention as well. That was only his second Test start and, like Harry, I thought he was excellent.
“We are building depth in the back three.”
Tottenham scored for a 36th successive Premier League game in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton to equal the second-longest run in Premier League history.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how they have done it and the record run still in front of them.
Scoring for fun
After losing 1-0 to Wolves in March, Tottenham scored in their final 12 games of last season – even as they sacked manager Antonio Conte and then caretaker Cristian Stellini, the latter following a shambolic 6-1 defeat to Newcastle.
They finished the season with Ryan Mason in charge and have not let up this term under a fourth manager in Ange Postecoglou, netting at least once in every game so far – 51 goals in 24 games, to add to their 24 in last season’s portion of the scoring run for a total of 75.
They have also conceded 63 at the other end and have kept only six clean sheets along the way as they rival Saturday’s opponents Brighton as the Premier League’s great entertainers – Albion’s own sequences of 32 consecutive games without being shut out and 20 in which both teams had scored were ended by December’s 2-0 loss to Arsenal.
Postecoglou’s side have matched Manchester United’s run from December 2007 to November 2008, and Liverpool from March 2019 to February 2020.
Spurs would need to score in every game for the rest of this season and the first five of next term to equal the record of 55, set by rivals Arsenal from May 2001 to November 2002.
Son shines in scoring streak
Captain Son Heung-min is Spurs’ top scorer in those games with 17 goals, joined in double figures by the departed Harry Kane with 12 and Richarlison on 11.
They have had 19 different scorers in all, in addition to own goals by opponents Lisandro Martinez, Joel Matip and Joel Ward. Pedro Porro has made the most appearances, featuring in 34 of the 36 games.
Their stand-out performances in front of goal saw them beat Burnley 5-2 in September as well as 4-1 wins over Newcastle this season and Leeds last.
They have scored three goals on six occasions, netting twice 17 times and once on 10 occasions, averaging 2.08 goals per game.
That compares to 2.13 for Arsenal on their 55-game run, which encompassed the last game of 2000-01, their entire 2001-02 title win and the first 16 games of the following campaign. The Gunners, though, conceded barely a goal a game (56) compared to 1.75 for Spurs.
Arsene Wenger’s side surprisingly had only 15 different scorers, plus four opposition own goals. Thierry Henry racked up 31 of their 117 goals, with Sylvain Wiltord on 18, Freddie Ljungberg 15 and 10 apiece for Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp.
Jonjo O’Neill has pencilled in a trip to Kelso for leading Randox Grand National contender Monbeg Genius.
The British Horseracing Authority confirmed on Friday the gelding would be permitted to run as he will not be affected by a restraint order placed on the assets of owners Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman.
Monbeg Genius, who carries the Barrowman Racing silks, was last seen finishing third in the Coral Gold Cup back in December, with a setback scuppering any plans for a run subsequently.
However, O’Neill reports his charge to be nearing a return, with the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso on March 2 – plus a possible Cheltenham Festival stop – under consideration en route to Aintree in April.
“He was always going to run as far as I was concerned and no one told me or him!” said O’Neill.
“He might go to Kelso for the Listed chase and then hopefully he will go for the National – that’s the plan.
“He might go back to the Ultima, but we will see how we get on at Kelso first. That would probably be a bit too close together, but we will see.
“He seems fine in himself at the minute anyway and we will take each race as it comes.
“We will go to Kelso and then take it from there. He’s in good form, jumps well and is a good stayer.”
Monbeg Genius is as low as 14-1 joint-favourite for the Grand National on April 13.
Jack Leach has been ruled out of the rest of England’s Test tour of India with a left knee injury.
The 32-year-old picked up the injury during England’s first Test victory in Hyderabad, where he was forced to play a restricted role and subsequently missed the second Test in Vizag.
His absence saw Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir come into the side, where he picked up four wickets on his international debut.
Bashir was joined by Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley in England’s spin attack, with the trio only holding three caps between them going into the second Test.
The series resumes in Rajkot on Thursday tied at 1-1 following India’s 106-run victory in Vizag.
England will not be calling up a replacement and Leach will now return home.
In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “He will fly home from Abu Dhabi in the next 24 hours, where the England team have been staying ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, which starts on Thursday.
“Leach will work closely with the England and Somerset medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.”
Brennan Johnson is excited about what Tottenham can achieve this season with their improved squad depth.
Spurs were able to welcome captain Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma back into the fold for Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Brighton after their recent international commitments.
It was Son who set up fellow substitute Johnson for a last-gasp winner, which keeps Tottenham firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification and as a big outsider in the title race.
Boss Ange Postecoglou has not had a fully-fit squad to pick from since November due to injuries, suspensions and national-team duty, but does now and has used options off his bench during the last fortnight to inspire home wins over Brentford and Brighton.
“You don’t play that well or with that togetherness if everyone isn’t on board. Everyone is firmly on board with how the manager plays,” Johnson insisted.
“At half-time he was so frustrated because we came away from the way we want to play and when we score goals like that, it is stuff we work on day-in, day-out so it’s a nice feeling because it is the rewards paying off.
“It is just excitement (in the squad). Everyone is back and we’ve missed some really key players. As the manager said, now in training we’ll be doing the starters against the sub team and most times you won’t be able to tell who is starting because the quality is so high.
“We have that competition in training, there is never any bad blood, everyone gets on so well in training and we just want to push ourselves.
“It shows like (here) and against Brentford, when people aren’t at it for one reason or another, it’s not down to them, but it shows the squad and the players coming on can make such a good impact.”
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The 96th-minute winner was Johnson’s latest encouraging moment after a mixed start to life with the north London club.
After struggling for form earlier this season, his third goal for Tottenham makes it four goal involvements in his last seven Premier League appearances.
Johnson told SpursPlay: “Moments like that are what you dream of as a player.
“Even when I was on the bench, I knew when we come on there is such good quality in the team. Coming on with a player as good as Sonny, when he gets the ball down the left-hand side, his crossing is unbelievable, especially off both feet.
“It was just about making sure I got it in. It felt like it was coming in slow motion but to get the ball in the back of the goal is a special feeling.”
Brighton were without boss Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham with the Italian back in his home country recovering from invasive dental surgery.
De Zerbi also had a one-match touchline ban to serve, but his number two revealed he was in contact with his staff during the match.
“Yes, Roberto was the whole match in contact with us,” Seagulls assistant Andrea Maldera revealed.
“In the first half not too much because the match was easy to read, but in half-time I spoke with him and he gave to me and the team some suggestions.
“In the second half, the substitutions arrived from him because he is watching the match on TV.”
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus on this day in 2019.
It was announced by the Serie A club that Ramsey, then 28, had agreed a four-year deal and would officially join on July 1, the day after his Arsenal contract expired.
Confirmation of the move ended considerable speculation over the future of the Wales international, who turned down a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.
Juventus had long been the favourites for Ramsey’s signature despite a host of other top European clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, being linked.
In a statement issued on his social media platforms, Ramsey wrote: “I wanted to issue a personal statement for all the Arsenal fans who have been extremely loyal and supportive.
“You welcomed me as a teenager and have been there for me through all the highs and lows I have encountered during my time at the club.
“It is with a heavy heart that I leave after 11 incredible years in north London. Thank you.
“I will continue to give the team 100 per cent and hope to finish the season strongly, before heading on to my next chapter in Turin.”
A statement from the Gunners read: “Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Aaron Ramsey a happy and successful future.
“Aaron’s made a fantastic contribution to our club since joining from Cardiff City in 2008. He has always been a consummate professional and will always have a special place in the hearts and memories of Arsenal fans around the world.”
Following his departure from Arsenal, Ramsey played 70 times for Juventus, winning the Serie A title once.
He was loaned out to Rangers before joining Nice on a free transfer. Ramsey re-joined Cardiff last summer after his contract with Nice was terminated by mutual consent.
Ramsey, now 33, scored three times in his opening six games for the Bluebirds, but has been sidelined since September with a knee injury.
Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky with his NHL-record 57th empty-net goal and the Washington Capitals snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
T.J. Oshie scored his 299th career goal and Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Capitals won for the first time since defeating St. Louis on Jan. 18.
Ovechkin’s goal was his 12th of the season and 834th of his career, leaving him 61 shy of surpassing Gretzky’s NHL record.
The Bruins were outshot 27-7 through two periods and lost for the third time in their last four home games.
Red Wings win on penalty shot in overtime
Jake Walman scored on a penalty shot in overtime to complete the Detroit Red Wings’ comeback 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Detroit trailed 3-1 entering the third period, but Daniel Sprong scored on a power play at 2:34 and Michael Rasmussen scored the tying goal five minutes later.
The Red Wings improved to 3-0-1 in their last four games and won for the seventh time when trailing after two periods.
Patrick Kane had an assist in his 1,200th career game in his return after missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury.
Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson each had a goal and two assists for the league-leading Canucks, who had a 12-game point streak snapped with a 4-0 loss to Boston on Thursday.
Senators beat Leafs before wild ending
Shane Pinto scored one goal and set up two others to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game that ended with Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly cross-checking Ridly Greig for using a slap shot to score into an empty net.
Claude Giroux, Vladimir Tarasenko and Josh Norris also scored as the Senators matched a season high with their third straight victory.
Greig decided to use a slap shot to score from short range and Rielly took exception. As Greig headed back up the boards toward the bench, Rielly hit him high with a cross-check.
He was given a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.
Jarrett Allen scored 18 points to lead eight players in double figures and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their ninth consecutive victory, 119-95 over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
Evan Mobley had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 15 and Max Strus contributed 14 points for Cleveland, which has won 22 of its last 26 games and improved to an NBA-best 17-8 on the road.
The Cavaliers are 11-0 this season when holding opponents below 100 points.
Scottie Barnes scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half for Toronto and matched his season high with 10 assists to go with 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double.
The Raptors had won four straight and 10 of the past 11 home meetings against Cleveland.
Warriors win on Curry’s last-second 3-pointer
Stephen Curry drained a long 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining – his ninth of the game - and the resurgent Golden State Warriors stunned the Phoenix Suns, 113-112.
After Bradley Beal missed a 3-pointer, Curry grabbed the rebound and the Warriors called time out with five seconds to play trailing 112-110.
Brandon Podziemski’s inbound pass was a little behind Curry, but he grabbed the ball and put up a 33-foot heave that hit nothing but net with the clock down to 0.7 seconds left.
Curry finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Jonathan Kuminga added 21 points to help Golden State win its fourth straight and sixth in seven games.
Devin Booker had 32 points for the Suns, who fell just short of a fourth consecutive victory.
Gafford has strong debut for surging Mavericks
Luka Dončić scored 32 points and Daniel Gafford had 19 and nine rebounds in his Mavericks debut as Dallas defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 146-111 for their fourth straight win.
Kyrie Irving added 25 points and Maxi Kleber had 12 points and 12 boards for Dallas, which led 47-30 after the highest-scoring first quarter in franchise history.
The Mavericks are 4-0 with Doncic and Irving in the lineup since Irving’s return from a sprained thumb.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points for the Thunder, who shot 38.8 percent from the field and were outrebounded 54-40.
Canadian Nick Taylor is leading the field at the Phoenix Open, one shot ahead of American Sahith Theegala.
Play closed on Saturday night due to darkness at TPC Scottsdale Stadium, with the two only managing to finish six holes of their third round.
The pair battled it out on Saturday, with the Canadian finishing the day at 13 under after Theegala briefly overtook Taylor thanks to a second-round 64.
Theegala then bogeyed his first two holes of the third round but pulled off a birdie on the fourth hole to stay within one stroke of Taylor and the top spot.
Further delays due to frost may be on the cards, which could force play pushed over into Monday.
Erik Ten Hag believes playing with Casemiro will help Kobbie Mainoo reach his potential more quickly.
Eighteen-year-old Mainoo has been the brightest part of a difficult season so far for Manchester United, with the midfielder establishing himself as an important member of the side.
The teenager was given his chance following the hamstring injury suffered by Casemiro at the beginning of November.
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But the Brazil international, who is 13 years Mainoo’s senior, is now fit again and they have played together in the last three games, all of which United have won.
Boss Ten Hag said: “We missed over a long period very important players like Casemiro, (Lisandro) Martinez, Luke Shaw, also others. We discussed that often. But you see the impact from a player when he is there, like Casemiro.
“He gives you calmness and composure on the ball. He gives you options, he does see the vertical pass.
“He is always a step ahead of his opponent and can break lines. Casemiro is a very important player for our game. We are happy he is back.
“For Kobbie Mainoo, he can learn a lot from it. That togetherness, that bond, also Kobbie is very coachable and Casemiro has so much experience.
“Kobbie will learn a lot from it, and that can even accelerate his development. We are happy to have him and, when they play together, they can benefit from each other.
“Casa takes that responsibility. He has taken to him and he is talking to him.
“I see it in the dressing room and on the pitch, also in training and in games. He is looking at his own game, but he is trying to help and support Kobbie Mainoo.”
Green shoots have emerged among a troubled time at Old Trafford in the form of Mainoo and his fellow young guns Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
All have been to the fore in United’s improved form, which sees them head into Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa chasing a fourth successive win.
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Ten Hag is mindful, though, of not overplaying his rising stars, saying: “I brought them out on Sunday because it was the second game in nearly three days.
“I brought them out against Nottingham Forest, the third game in a week, and I have to protect the player.
“They have to get used to the Premier League’s intensity. You can only train this in the Premier League or Champions League where you have to perform every third day.
“Then you have to make considerations about the team and result, but also about protecting players so they don’t get injured.
“Kobbie was twice injured and we don’t want to come into that situation again because it halts his progress.”
Mauricio Pochettino expressed frustration that Chelsea’s injury problems are being unfairly ignored in assessments of his team’s poor performances this season.
The Argentinian has rarely had fewer than seven players unavailable to him during what has been at best a patchy campaign.
Results have fluctuated drastically and the last week has been a stark example, with Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Aston Villa in the FA Cup coming directly off the back of a 4-2 loss to Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
That defeat, the 10th of Pochettino’s 23 Premier League games in charge, left the team 11th in the table.
The manager is unhappy that the impact of absences on his team’s form is not being acknowledged by critics.
Chelsea could have as many as nine players out for Monday’s game away at Crystal Palace, with defender Benoit Badiashile the latest name added to the list after he was forced off with a groin problem against Villa.
Both he and Levi Colwill will be assessed ahead of the meeting at Selhurst Park, though Trevoh Chalobah could be in consideration after missing the entirety of the season so far.
Other players to have missed significant periods include summer signings Christopher Nkunku, who required surgery on a knee injury sustained in pre-season and was made to wait until December to make his debut, and Romeo Lavia, who has played just once since joining from Southampton.
Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu and captain Reece James are also out whilst Wesley Fofana, who the club paid £70million to sign from Leicester in 2022, has not played this season.
Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Malo Gusto have also spent time out injured.
“The perception is one thing, but if you don’t have your best players, it’s difficult,” said Pochettino. “You’re judged on results, (but) circumstances are there. Always we play with different circumstances.
“When you only see the result, people criticise because you lose the game. But never you go into the analysis of why.
“Before, I was focusing on giving good information to (the media) to put it all in context, to provide the argument what is going on. But now, after seven months, I don’t say ‘I give up (with the media)’ but if people want to understand OK, if not (then) focus, move on and try to win games.
“After seven months, I need to still explain and explain and explain. Unless people want to listen, that’s it. I’m not going to spend too much energy in keeping going, explaining and explaining.
“If you want to understand, perfect. If you want to help Chelsea, perfect. I’m not saying you are helping me. It’s helping Chelsea.”
Pochettino offered his backing to under-fire Palace boss Roy Hodgson, with whom he has maintained a friendship during his years in the Premier League.
Hodgson was the England manager whilst Chelsea’s coach was at Southampton between 2013-14, with a number of Saints players called up to the national team in that period.
“Roy is my friend, I admire him,” said Pochettino. “He’s an unbelievable coach. When you lose one or two in a row, always arrives the pressure. No doubt he’s going to be successful with Palace.”
South Africa claimed third place in the Africa Cup of Nations, beating DR Congo 6-5 in a tense penalty shoot-out after surviving a second-half onslaught during the 90 minutes.
Bafana Bafana appeared second favourites in the shoot-out after Teboho Mokoena hit the post with the first spot-kick to hand DR Congo an immediate advantage and the stage was set for captain Chancel Mbemba to hit the winner, only to see his effort saved by Ronwen Williams.
And Williams – who saved four penalties in the quarter-final shoot-out win over Cape Verde – was the hero again after he kept out Mischack Elia’s penalty to seal the win.
It came after a 90 minutes in which DR Congo threatened again and again, but could not find a way to beat Williams.
The goalkeeper was quickly off his line to deny Silas Wamangituka, clean through on goal after eight minutes.
Simon Banza appeared to be through in the 27th minute but he could not get the proper contact on his shot and it dribbled back to Williams.
As half-time loomed, Elia tried to find Banza in front of goal but Siyanda Xulu made a crucial intervention to stop the danger.
DR Congo remained the more dangerous of the two teams at the start of the second half. When Grady Diangana lifted a ball through for Banza he got enormous power on his hooked shot, but could not keep it down as it whistled over the crossbar.
Elia tried his luck with a free-kick just before the hour, but his curling shot was straight at the goalkeeper.
The pressure kept coming, and should have resulted in a goal in the 65th minute. Williams completely fluffed gathering a high ball, gifting possession to Elia. His cross was deflected but it fell to Silas, who had a glorious chance in front of goal only to drag it wide.
Substitute Ricardo Goss then wasted an equally glorious chance in the 75th minute, hooking over from point-blank range as he back-pedalled, making contact off-balance.
Having been under pressure for so long, South Africa had a great chance to win it with five minutes left when Mihlali Mayambela broke through the offside trap, but with team-mates better placed he tried to beat Dimitry Bertaud from a tight angle and failed.
DR Congo went to the other end where substitute Fiston Mayele got away from Xulu with great control, only to drag his shot across goal from a tight angle and ensure the contest would be decided from the spot.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can join Novak Djokovic as members of a new 'Big Three' in men's tennis over the coming years, before taking up the Serbian's mantle when he retires.
That is the view of four-time grand slam semi-finalist Tommy Haas, who believes Sinner's sheer power will help him build on the Australian Open title he captured last month.
Sinner recovered from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling Australian Open final in January, claiming his first grand slam title at the age of 22.
The Italian's triumph made him the third-youngest man to win the event since it moved to Melbourne Park in 1988, older only than Djokovic in 2008 and Jim Courrier in 1992.
That breakout victory led to suggestions that Sinner could join Alcaraz in becoming a regular challenger to Djokovic, who has largely dominated men's tennis in recent years, with Roger Federer retiring in 2022 and Rafael Nadal beset by injury problems.
While Haas believes Alcaraz is currently a more rounded player than Sinner, he feels the Italian has every chance of adding to his first major crown in the coming years.
"Maybe with Al, it's a bit more of an all-round game, but I think Sinner is going to continue to work on his," Haas told Stats Perform.
"He's already done a great job on movement, on defence. Maybe he doesn't actually need to learn to get to the net and finish more, but I'm sure he's going to try because of his powerful groundstrokes.
"If he keeps playing like he does, it's just so powerful. You're going to be reacting pretty much all the time against him.
"He's going to try to improve his serve, he's going to try to improve physically. If he stays healthy, if Alcaraz stays healthy, these two are going to be the ones playing for a lot of the big titles."
However, Haas also thinks there are other contenders capable of pushing for major honours, adding: "Then you have Holger Rune, you have these other young players coming up.
"He now has to step it up a little bit. I think there's been lots going on with his team, with lots of chefs in the kitchen, but he's got the right mindset, he's got the will, he's got the potential.
"You have [Alexander] Zverev, who obviously still believes he can and should win a slam, so there's a lot of nice contrast there.
"Medvedev, on hardcourts you can never count him out, and he's only 27. I think there is still potential for those guys to keep doing well.
"[Andrey] Rublev, I feel like he's getting better on defence as well. He pounds the ball like no other. So if he gets a little bit tougher mentally, don't count him out. There's a lot of good storylines there."
Kylian Mbappe was kept in reserve as Paris St Germain went 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with 3-1 victory over Lille.
Defender Alexsandro had a night to forget at the Parc des Princes when, after Yusuf Yazici had given the visitors an early lead, he was robbed to allow Goncalo Ramos to level and then sliced the ball into his own net before Randal Kolo Muani cemented the win.
Mbappe was named only among the substitutes ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League last 16 clash with Real Sociedad, as were Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos and Warren Zaire-Emery.
And Mbappe was not needed as Luis Enrique’s side eased to victory, with fourth-placed Lille indebted to goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier for keeping the margin of defeat respectable.
Mbappe’s presence on the bench as he nursed ankle injury did not come as a huge surprise despite Enrique’s insistence in the run-up to the game that he would be involved, but 37-year-old Keylor Navas’ inclusion in place of Donnarumma, his first appearance for the club since May 2022, did prompt raised eyebrows.
Navas’ evening got off to a bad start as Tiago Santos tricked his way past Lucas Beraldo and after Fabian Ruiz failed to deal with his cross, Yazici smashed the ball past the PSG keeper in the sixth minute.
The lead last barely four minutes as Alexsandro was caught in possession and Ousmane Dembele squared for Ramos to equalise.
Alexsandro’s evening was to take a further turn for the worse with just 17 minutes played as the home side started to find their feet.
Ramos sent the ball across the face of goal and when the visitors failed to deal with it, Fabian unleashed a speculative shot and the defender sliced an attempted clearance into his own net.
Lille might have fallen further behind in first-half stoppage time but for Chevalier’s instinctive save with his foot after Marco Asensio had run on to Dembele’s pull-back.
Asensio was guilty of a poor 51st-minute miss after robbing Nabil Bentaleb on the edge of the penalty area, and Chevalier came to Alexsandro’s rescue with a block from Nordi Mukiele after he had forced his way past the defender.
Edon Zhegrova saw a 58th-minute attempt deflected wide at the other end after Gabriel Gudmundsson and Angel Gomes had combined to set him up, but it took another superb save from Chevalier to keep out Kolo Muani’s 73rd-minute strike.
The striker did get his name on the scoresheet with 10 minutes remaining when substitute Bradley Barcola broke down the left and crossed for him to cement victory.
And Alexsandro’s misery was complete when he headed wastefully over when presented with a late chance to reduce the deficit.
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