Lionel Messi Scores 1st PSG Goal in 2-0 Champions League Win over Manchester City
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVSeptember 28, 2021
Paris Saint-Germain was looking for revenge against Manchester City on Tuesday at Le Parc de Princes after the Premier League superpower knocked it out of the Champions League semifinals last season.
Lionel Messi helped provide it.
The legendary forward scored his first goal since joining the Parisiens, notching yet another pristine one in a career full of them, and PSG beat City 2-0 in Group A play.
Henry Winter @henrywinterLionel Messi opens his PSG account, inevitably in style. Brilliant finish, even a keeper as good as Ederson had no chance. 2-0 PSG. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCFC</a> had been playing well, especially Walker, but no answer to quality like that. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSGMCI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSGMCI</a>
Idrissa Gueye's first-half goal was ultimately the winner, but Messi opening his account was the obvious storyline from Tuesday's win.
Perhaps Gianluigi Donnarumma deserves some love, too. On a night when City held 53 percent of possession and put seven goals on target, PSG's goalkeeper was stout.
But again, Tuesday will be remembered for Messi's magic. That he scored his first goal for PSG in a rematch against the club that knocked it out of Europe last season and that was rumored to be a potential destination for him (and lacks a true No. 9 on the roster, to boot) cannot be understated.
PSG couldn't have written a better script. Manchester City would have preferred a much different one.
It comes at an important time for the Parisiens, who shockingly failed to win Ligue 1 last season and are facing the prospect of losing Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer after the season, with Real Madrid reportedly lurking.
Despite the disappointments of last season, PSG has taken all 24 points from its eight Ligue 1 games to start the season and currently sits atop Group A in the Champions League with four points.
There have been questions about manager Mauricio Pochettino in Paris as well, and more than a few eyebrows raised when he suggested to reporters that the loaded PSG were still a "team under construction" this week.
"Winning the Champions League would be a dream for us," he said. "The club is 50 years old and has always been looking to establish itself as the best in Europe. This is a process that takes time, patience and investment. In terms of that process, Man City are further ahead than PSG but we know that in a football match anything can happen."
On Tuesday, Messi happened. It was a scenario PSG will be hoping to see replicated, repeatedly, on the way to finally securing a UCL title.