PSG won for the first time at their sixth attempt against Manchester City (2-0). Messi’s debut goal for his new club finally settled everything.
PSG could rely on the recently injured Messi, who together with Neymar and Mbappé formed the offensive trio. In the box, Donnarumma was preferred to Navas. The Italian has not really arrived in the French capital yet and is still fighting for the status as the clear number one.
ManCity had to do without German international Gündogan, who is suffering from a thigh injury, as they did at the weekend against Chelsea FC (1-0). As against the Blues, Rodrigo, De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva formed the midfield. Mahrez, Grealish and Sterling started in the attack.
Gueye hits the angle just right
The visitors from Manchester started dominantly in the first few minutes, PSG waiting at first. But just when the home side started to take control of the game, the French side promptly made it 1-0: a diversion brought the ball into the penalty area to Gueye, who drove the ball into the right-hand corner from seven metres out (8th minute). The Skyblues needed a few minutes before they showed their familiar dominance again. In the 26th minute they should have equalised, Sterling and Bernardo Silva hit the crossbar. Especially the Portuguese, who was on the offside line, actually had to put his finish from close range into the mesh.
It was an encounter in which the English invested more and were more dominant. PSG, with their fast attackers Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, lurked on the counter-attack, one of which Herrera almost successfully completed, but his shot lacked accuracy (38th). City deserved an equaliser due to their dominance and possession, but lacked precision in front of the goal. After Ruben Dias had failed to beat Donnarumma with a header (43rd), the French went into the dressing room with a somewhat flattering 1-0 lead.
Premiere for Messi
After the break it was again City who did more for the game. But the Englishmen rarely found gaps in the Parisian defence, Mahrez tested Donnarumma from an acute angle (54th). PSG stood well defensively and concentrated on quick counterattacks, after one of these counterattacks Neymar put the ball on the right outside net (65.). The English kept on running, but most of the time it was over in the opponent’s penalty area. The French did it cleverly – and finally could celebrate the first goal of their star newcomer: Messi made speed, played a double pass with Mbappé and put the ball in the top right (74.) – his first goal for his new employer and his 120th goal in the Champions League.
The 2:0 was finally the decision, because after that nothing more came from Manchester. It was PSG’s first win over City at their sixth attempt. The French side are now in first place in Group A with four points, the same number as Bruges. They are followed by City (three points) and Leipzig (zero points). The top flight continues on Tuesday 19 October with Brugge v City (6.45pm) and PSG v Leipzig (9pm).