Lionel Messi: Some fans whistle as Messi’s name is announced as Paris Saint-Germain’s season hits new low

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Paris Saint-Germain’s poor season turned from bad to worse on Sunday as the team suffered a second consecutive home defeat with a 1-0 defeat to Lyon.

Even before the game started, Lionel Messi had to bear the brunt of the frustration of some PSG fans, who whistled when his name appeared on the big screen during the starting lineup announcement.

After Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty in the first half, Bradley Barcola’s goal 10 minutes into the second period was enough to give Lyon three points on a night when PSG rarely looked like threatening the visitors’ goal.

Lens’s 1-0 win over Rennes and Marseille’s 1-1 draw with Montpellier means both teams are now just six points behind PSG at the top of Ligue 1, and even the domestic title could slip from either team’s grasp.

The reaction from some fans on Sunday may have felt a far cry from the praise and adoration Messi received during his recent return to Argentina for friendly matches against Panama and Curaçao as the country continued its World Cup celebrations.

Messi’s arrival at the Parc des Princes was supposed to be the missing piece that would help PSG finally win the Champions League, the trophy the club’s Qatari owners want most.

So far, the only major trophy the team has won since Messi joined was Ligue 1 last season, a title that – it’s fair to say – PSG would likely have won without him.

Messi has contributed 34 goals in all competitions for PSG this season – 18 goals and 17 assists – second only to Mbappe’s 38 and head coach Christophe Galtier refused to lay the blame for the team’s failings at the feet of the Argentine.

“I found it hard to hear (the mockery),” Galtier told reporters, according to The Athletic. “There can be expectations from Messi and Mbappé to solve difficult situations. Messi tries so hard, he doesn’t get everything done; but around him, other players need to do their job too.”

“We can’t expect everything from Leo and Killian,” he said.

Next week is a season-defining week for PSG as Galtier’s side travel to a Nice side that is unbeaten in 13 matches before hosting Lens at the Parc des Princes.

PSG have lost two of their three matches since being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich last month, and only got past relegation-threatened Brest with Kylian Mbappe’s winner in the 90th minute.

After his team’s win, Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc said that the Champions League or bust mentality has been detrimental to PSG’s performances.

“The problem of Paris is that when the No. 1 objective of the Champions League is no longer accessible, it feels as if the season no longer exists – and at all levels,” he told reporters.