Pochettino Reacts to Messi Hitting the Woodwork for the 10th Time in Ligue 1 This Season

Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi shoots the ball during the French L1 football match between Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) and Lens (RCL) at The Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on April 23, 2022. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)

During the late stages of Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 home fixture against Troyes, Lionel Messi was mere inches away from scoring what would have been the dramatic game-winning goal. The Argentine’s outside-the-box shot wound up ricocheting off of the woodwork, and PSG ended up finishing with a 2-2 draw result against Troyes.

In speaking after the match (via L’Equipe), PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino offered his reaction to Messi hitting the woodwork for the league-leading 10th time of the season.

“I think it was due to bad luck,” Pochettino said. “It’s unbelievable because we could have won the game on that last play, where he hits the bar. He’s a top-quality player, and I think he’s just suffering from bad luck this season. Unfortunately, with all those posts, he didn’t have the opportunity to score more goals.”

Messi has so far tallied for 70 total shots in Ligue 1 so far this season, with 42 of them coming outside-of-the-box.

Barring a historic late-season surge in PSG’s last two fixtures of the Ligue 1 season, Messi will finish league play with under 10 goals scored. At the least, he has been a pivotal player as a playmaker, which includes his 13 assists recorded over 24 total appearances in the campaign.

Tags Lionel Messi Mauricio Pochettino
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