Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar has leapt to the defence of Brazilian compatriot Lucas Paqueta, who was shown a yellow card for performing a rainbow flick in Lyon’s 3-1 win over Troyes on Wednesday night.
The two Brazil internationals tussled at the weekend as Mauro Icardi netted late on to secure a 2-1 win for PSG, which cancelled out Paqueta’s opener for Lyon, and they were back in action this week, with the Parisians collecting another 2-1 win, this time over Metz, while Les Gones thrashed Troyes.
Paqueta once again found himself on the scoresheet, netting in the 87th minute to put the gloss on a home triumph after Xherdan Shaqiri scored his first Lyon goal, and Chelsea loanee Emerson Palmieri also opened his account for the club, but the result was somewhat soured by the Brazilian’s booking.
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In the dying embers Paqueta attempted to flick the ball over Giulian Biancone, much to the 21-year-old defender’s annoyance, who reacted angrily to attempted showboat, with referee Stephanie Frappart subsequently brandishing a yellow card in the Lyon midfielder’s direction.
Following the incident, Neymar took to his Instagram account to give his thoughts on Paqueta’s booking, and he wasn’t too impressed with Frappart’s decision.
“This episode is very, very sad, receiving a yellow card for a dribble,” he wrote.
“The technical gesture is a solution, no matter where it takes place and no matter what minute it is performed.
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“The same thing happened to me last season. This year, it’s happened to Paqueta. Honestly, I don’t understand the reasons.
The famous ‘Joga Bonito’ [beautiful game] is over. Enjoy while it lasts.”
Neymar likewise received a booking after he attempted the same skill against Arnaud Souquet last season during PSG’s 5-0 win over Montpellier, with the referee on that day, Jerome Brisard, cautioning the forward as a result.
He continued to vent his frustration away from the turf after the win, writing on his Instagram page back in February: “I just play football.”
