PARIS: Achraf Hakimi’s dramatic injury-time winner rescued Paris St Germain a 2-1 victory at bottom club Metz on Wednesday as the capital giants maintained their 100 percent start to the Ligue 1 season despite the absence of the injured Lionel Messi.

Moroccan full-back Hakimi, a 60-million-euro signing from Inter Milan this year, gave PSG a fifth-minute lead before Kiki Kouyate’s equaliser.

But a chaotic climax to the match saw Metz reduced to 10 men after Dylan Bronn picked up a second yellow card and have their coach Frederic Antonetti sent to the stands.

The referee was about to blow the final whistle when Hakimi netted in the fifth minute of injury time with a curling shot past goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja to put PSG on 21 points from seven games, three days after the capital side beat Olympique Lyonnais by the same scoreline thanks to another winning goal in the dying seconds.

Metz, who finished with 10 men after Dylan Bronn picked up a second yellow card in the last minute, have three points from seven games.

PSG lead second-placed Olympique de Marseille, who drew 0-0 at Angers and have a game in hand, by seven points.

RC Lens, playing the first of two home games behind closed doors after crowd trouble marred their derby victory over Lille last Saturday, slumped to a 1-0 defeat by Racing Strasbourg and dropped to fourth on 12 points, behind Angers on goal difference.

Lyon, improving after a stuttering start to the season, beat Troyes 3-1 with goals by Xherdan Shaqiri, Emerson and Lucas Paqueta to climb to sixth with 11 points, one place ahead of Nice who lost 1-0 at fifth-placed Lorient.

Struggling Ligue 1 champions Lille held on to beat visiting Stade de Reims 2-1 to claim

just their second win of the season.

Monaco are above Lille on goal difference after also sealing their second league win this term by seeing off 10-man St Etienne 3-1.

New signing Valere Germain made it three goals in three games for Montpellier with a brace in a 3-3 home draw with Girondins Bordeaux.

Eighth-placed Nantes made it seven goals in two matches by beating Brest 3-1.

Rennes bounced back from three straight losses by thrashing Clermont 6-0, with Ghana winger Kamaldeen Sulemana netting twice.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2021