An Idrissa Gueye opener early into the match and Lionel Messi’s first-ever Paris Saint-Germain goal after the break gave the French side a 2-0 victory in their Champions League group-stage match against Manchester City on Tuesday night.
The hosts got off to great start, as they managed to take the lead just eight minutes into the game through Gueye, who unleashed a thunderous effort inside the box which ended up in the back of the net.
Manchester City attempted to bounce back instantly, but they were unlucky to hit the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds as Raheem Sterling’s header crashed against the crossbar before Bernardo Silva pounced on the rebound, but his effort from a yard or so came back out off the woodwork.
The Sky Blues piled the pressure on PSG after their wasted double chance, but Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a brilliant save to deny Ruben Dias, who tried to head home from a corner kick just before the break.
Pep Guardiola’s men were in control of the game after the break too, but despite dominating possession, they struggled to find a final pass while PSG looked threatening on the counter-attack.
And then came Messi’s moment. The former Barcelona captain found enough space outside City’s box on the counter, played a one-two with Kylian Mbappe and then unleashed an effort from the edge of the area to send the ball into the top right corner of Ederson’s goal.
That Messi goal took the wind out of City’s sails, as they looked resigned to defeat. For PSG, this result is a real signal of intent against arguably England’s best team.
PSG currently sit top of the table in Group A along with Club Brugge with four points each, followed by City with three points and RB Leipzig who have yet to grab a point.
