As Paris Saint-near-perfect Germain’s start to the season continued with a 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on Wednesday, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi worked together beautifully.
After being set up by Mbappe to make up for Tjarron Chery’s unexpected first-half goal, Messi canceled it out. He then did the same for the France striker after the interval, and Neymar added a late third to make PSG sweat.
PSG is in first place in Group H with six points, tied with Benfica, who defeated Juventus 2-1. On October 5, Juventus play Haifa, and Christophe Galtier’s French team travels to Benfica with the possibility of being eliminated early. However, Mbappe acknowledged that his team’s performance was far from ideal.
Messi, Neymar, Mbappe’s Fire Power Saved PSG From Defeat:
Mbappe threatened twice for PSG in the first few minutes, but they swiftly slipped into a rut and were punished halfway through the half.
Dolev Haziza delivered a pinpoint cross for Chery as Haifa applied more pressure, and Chery extended his leg to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma and give the hosts the lead.
Eight minutes before halftime, Messi scored a close-range goal to tie the score at one after Mbappe evaded two players in the box and redirected a cross into his path.
Messi, a player for Argentina, has now scored goals in the Champions League against 39 different opponents.
After the break, PSG continued to play with too much complacency, allowing Haifa to set up opportunities for Frantzdy Pierrot and Omer Atzili.
However, Vitinha’s work in the middle of the field was crucial for the Ligue 1 winners, and Messi came close at the hour after the little Portuguese set him up.
PSG’s skills ultimately determined the outcome, as Mabppe took advantage of a beautiful through ball from Messi to give his team the lead with a low shot in the 69th minute.
