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European roundup: Messi, Neymar booed despite PSG win, Barca march on
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PSG's Lionel Messi continues his goal drought during their Ligue 1 clash with Bordeaux at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, March 13, 2022. /CFP

PSG's Lionel Messi continues his goal drought during their Ligue 1 clash with Bordeaux at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, March 13, 2022. /CFP

Paris Saint-Germain beat Ligue 1 strugglers Bordeaux 3-0 on Sunday amid incessant whistles directed at stars, including Lionel Messi and Neymar, from home fans furious at another European exit.

Amid a gloomy atmosphere in the French capital, only Kylian Mbappe, who scored both goals in the last-16 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, escaped the wrath of the fans.

On Sunday, Mbappe was again on target, scoring the opening goal after 24 minutes, with Neymar and Leandro Paredes adding two more in the second half.

PSG hold a 15-point lead over Marseille and Nice and are on track to equal Saint-Etienne's record of 10 French titles, but the frustration of their home fans spilled over.

Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi was booed as never before in his career, even in the rare bad times with Argentina, and whistled at every touch of the ball.

PSG's Neymar is tackled from behind during their Ligue 1 clash with Bordeaux at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, March 13, 2022. /CFP

PSG's Neymar is tackled from behind during their Ligue 1 clash with Bordeaux at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, March 13, 2022. /CFP

Coach Mauricio Pochettino said the players had reacted to the hostility "with sadness."

"No-one who loves PSG, its colors and who feels the frustration of elimination, can experience it in any other way. Sadness. I think that's the right word. The sadness of experiencing an afternoon like this here at the Parc des Princes," he said.

"Messi and Neymar? We are all affected; we understand the disappointment and frustration, which we also share. But we are responsible. We only have to accept it as a team, and we will be united until the end."

Ligue 1 is Pochettino's side's only objective this season.

"We are satisfied with the performance of the team in difficult circumstances; the team responded, with a professional performance, with a 3-0 win," added the Argentine.

Ferran Torres of Barcelona celebrates his goal during their La Liga clash with Osasuna at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, March 13, 2022. /CFP

Ferran Torres of Barcelona celebrates his goal during their La Liga clash with Osasuna at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, March 13, 2022. /CFP

In Spain, Barcelona continued their La Liga resurgence by blowing away Osasuna, with Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on target again in a 4-0 win at Camp Nou.

Three goals in 14 minutes in the first half all but ended the match as a contest as Torres scored twice, the first a penalty, before Aubameyang prodded in a third. Riqui Puig rounded off the victory with 15 minutes left.

Focus now turns to two crunch games this week, against Galatasaray in the Europa League and then next weekend's Clasico against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"If we play with this intensity, we can compete with anyone," said Xavi Hernandez.

A fourth consecutive league victory lifts Barca back up to third on the table, only five points behind Sevilla and with a game in hand over Julen Lopetegui's side, whose title challenge looks to be over after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano.

Sevilla have drawn six of their last eight games in La Liga, and their latest stumble at Vallecas means Real Madrid will move 10 points clear at the top if they win at Mallorca on Monday.

Kai Havertz of Chelsea scored the winner during their Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, England, March 13, 2022. /CFP

Kai Havertz of Chelsea scored the winner during their Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, England, March 13, 2022. /CFP

In England, Chelsea shrugged off uncertainty over the club's future to beat Newcastle 1-0, thanks to Kai Havertz's late goal at Stamford Bridge, while Ukrainian international Andriy Yarmolenko broke down in tears after scoring in West Ham's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The European champions are still reeling from the impact of the sanctions placed on billionaire owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government for alleged close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Chelsea have only been allowed to keep operating, thanks to a special license that still imposes a series of restrictions, such as a ban on selling tickets and merchandise.

There was little immediate sign of change once the action got underway in front of a full house at Stamford Bridge, with all the tickets already sold prior to Thursday's announcement of sanctions.

Prior to the match, both Chelsea's technical and performance advisor Petr Cech and manager Thomas Tuchel could offer no guarantees the Blues can even afford to fulfill their fixtures for the rest of the season unless the license restrictions are eased.

In contrast to matches in recent weeks, there was no chanting of Abramovich's name by the Chelsea fans, although there was still a banner with his image hailing the "Roman Empire."

Victory solidified Chelsea's position in third place as they remain well on course for the much-needed financial boost of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Inter Milan's Robin Gosens missed a chance during their Serie A clash with Torino at Stadio Olimpico di Torino in Turin, Italy, March 13, 2022. /CFP

Inter Milan's Robin Gosens missed a chance during their Serie A clash with Torino at Stadio Olimpico di Torino in Turin, Italy, March 13, 2022. /CFP

In Italy, Inter Milan handed local rivals AC Milan the advantage in the Serie A title race despite snatching a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Torino, as Napoli leapfrogged them into second place with a 2-1 win at Verona.

Alexis Sanchez hit the leveler in the third minute of stoppage time of an entertaining encounter in Turin, which left Inter in third, four points behind Milan.

Simone Inzaghi's side have a game in hand, but they are now looking over their shoulders at Juventus, who are only three points behind their old rivals in fourth after stringing together a 14-match unbeaten run.

Elsewhere, Victor Osimhen struck the first of his brace for Napoli, which kept them three points behind Milan, in the 14th minute at the Stadio Bentegodi by thumping home a perfect header from Matteo Politano's cross.

Atalanta look to have forfeited their fight for the Champions League after a goalless stalemate with struggling Genoa, who have now drawn all seven matches under coach Alexander Blessin.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta are eight points behind fourth-placed Juventus, albeit with a game in hand.

Source(s): AFP

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