‘The genius is not lost’ – The world reacts to Messi’s full PSG debut
Robin Bairner
- 16 Sept 2021 08:08 BST
- 4 min read
Lionel Messi’s life at Paris Saint-Germain got off to an inauspicious start on Wednesday as his side were held 1-1 by Club Brugge in Belgium.
PSG found themselves outmatched by the energy of their hosts, who prevented the front three of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe seeing much of the ball.
Although Mbappe set up Ander Herrera for the opening goal, they were quickly and deservedly pegged back by a leveller through Hans Vanaken and were unable to find a solution to gain a proper grip on the game without Marco Verratti and Idrissa Gueye in their midfield.
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Messi, who was making his first starting appearance for PSG, did hit the bar, but while he shone on occasion, his influence on the match was typically fleeting.
Here’s the reaction to his first game.
How did Messi play against Club Brugge?
L’Equipe, the main sports paper in France, rated Messi’s performance at 5/10, which was one of PSG’s higher scores.
“What is there to say about his first entire match with PSG? A shot off the bar, two big chances missed and two passes that were nearly assists. La Pulga, who was given a lot of freedom, had a certain influence. But he missed physical sharpness to always be precisive with his final gesture. We already knew the Argentine didn’t defend. Ever.”
Le Parisien offered some comment over his renewed partnership with Neymar.
“It’s clear that even if the genius is not lost, it’s not reborn with a simple snap of the fingers. The Brazilian was the only one in the trio to track back into defensive areas. He also found a smart pass for his former colleague at Barca who, in other times, would undoubtedly have scored. But like his curling shut from the left repelled by the bar, his shot in the 71st minute was saved by Simon Mognolet. La Pulga missed his European debut under his new colours.”
Ouest France was more upbeat over his display, giving him 6/10.
“Discreet during the first 20 minutes, he offered an excellent pass for Mbappe to make it 2-0. Afterwards, he found the bar with a curling shot from the left. The he shot against Mignolet after 68 minutes. He was the most dangerous of the Parisian attackers but was unsuccessful in scoring his first goal with PSG.”
The overall consensus in France was that while Messi made a debut of some promise, PSG as a whole must function better.
The Spanish view
Naturally, there was great interest in Messi’s first PSG match from Spain, where Marca said: “This partnership works already” of his combination with Mbappe. The paper said of his first-half shot off the bar: “Messi’s usual… but now at PSG, he fired it off the bar.”
Mundo Deportivo said: “Messi, Neymar and Mbappe played with great mobility from the first minute… The Argentine, in his first start with PSG, crashed a spectacular shot off the crossbar. Messi gradually gained prominence in the game.”
Messi’s full debut as seen in Argentina
In Messi’s homeland, meanwhile, Ole was keeping close tabs on his Champions League debut with PSG.
It said: “Despite the result, the Rosario native had a good performance in Brugge. He played the 90 minutes, he was comfortable coming in from the right to the centre, combining with Mbappe, Neymar and Maurco Icardi (who came on for the Frenchman). His clearest chance? A shot onto the bar in the first half.”
Messi might be waiting on his first PSG goal, but his start has been promising.
Read more about: Brugge, PSG, PSG, Ander Herrera, Hans Vanaken, Idrissa Gueye, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Marco Verratti, Neymar
