A FINE Lionel Messi strike earned Paris St-Germain a comeback win over Toulouse and moved them eight points clear in Ligue 1.
Mid-table Toulouse took a surprise lead in Paris, Branco van den Boomen scoring a free-kick after 20 minutes.
Achraf Hakimi drew PSG level before half-time, and after the break, Messi curled home expertly from 25 yards.
The win moves PSG on to 54 points from 22 games, eight ahead of second-placed Marseille.
PSG were missing both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar because of injuries, and surprisingly fell behind to a set-piece by Dutch midfielder Van den Boomen.
Hakimi made it 1-1 with a curling effort, before Messi took centre stage just before the hour mark with a left-footed bending first-time strike low into the corner of the net.
It was Messi’s 10th Ligue 1 goal of the season and his 15th overall.
Marseille, second in Ligue 1 play Nice on Sunday and then host the PSG in the Coupe de France last 16 next week.
Mbappe will miss that game and the Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich on 14 February after being ruled out for three weeks with a thigh injury suffered in the 3-1 win at Montpellier last Wednesday.
