Lionel Messi hugged by pitch invader as fan evades security and ruins PSG attack - 7M sport

Lionel Messi hugged by pitch invader as fan evades security and ruins PSG attack

Lionel Messi was midway through an attacking move for PSG in their game against Marseille on Sunday when he was approached by a fan who managed to bypass security


Posted Monday, October 25, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Being Lionel Messi means that every player wants to play against him and every fan is desperate to catch a glimpse of arguably the greatest footballer of all time.

But one fan in particular got too close for comfort to the Paris Saint-Germain star, as the Ligue 1 giants faced Marseille on Sunday evening.

The 34-year-old was in possession and leading the counter attack for 10-man PSG with the deadlock yet to be broken when play was disrupted by a pitch invader.

The man, who managed to bypass stadium security, strode onto the pitch and confronted Messi on the pitch during the second half of the encounter at the Stade Velodrome.

Messi was blissfully unaware of the man's efforts to stop play as he cut inside, before being forced to stop by the referee's whistle as the invader sprinted over for a cuddle.

Lionel Messi hugged by pitch invader as fan evades security and ruins PSG attack
Lionel Messi is confronted by a pitch invader during PSG's 0-0 draw with Marseille

The incident resulted in a stoppage of play and, frustratingly for PSG, stopped their promising attack.

The fan, who seemingly got onto the pitch with little trouble, was eventually lead off by several security guards once they had caught up with him.

Messi looked as if he was relatively unfazed by what had happened, while play eventually resumed after the incident had been dealt with.

In truth, it was probably just another day in the life of fans demanding selfies and autographs from one of the most famous faces in the game.

The game subsequently ended 0-0 after both sides had a goal each ruled out by VAR during the first half.

PSG thought they had taken the lead in the 15th minute courtesy of a Luis Peres own goal, but it was eventually chalked off by VAR after Neymar was adjudged to have been standing in an offside position.

Marseille striker Arkadiusz Milik also had a goal disallowed six minutes later by referee Benoit Bastien for offside.

PSG right back Achraf Hakimi was given his marching orders in the second half after being shown a straight red card for a cynical foul on Cengiz Under.

The contest - known as Le Classique - represents the fiercest rivalry in France between the two most successful clubs in the country.

The result leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side seven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after 11 games, as PSG aim to win their eighth league title in 10 seasons.

Jorge Sampaoli’s Marseille are in fourth with 18 points, some 10 points adrift of the league leaders following their stalemate.

Marseille will now prepare themselves for their re-arranged derby match against Nice on Wednesday, which was abandoned after fans threw objects and invaded the pitch at the Allianz Riviera.



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