The Andalusian, acclaimed by the stands, scored his first goal in a match in which Messi played the last half hour
As Guardiola says , talent is not controlled or dominated. PSG likes that phrase like a glove. It does not excite, but it wins and follows its own. Fastened as Ligue 1 seems to have, you now have to look at what to improve to feel superior in Europe as well.
Against the Stade de Reims it went from less to more in a match in which Sergio Ramos celebrated his first goal in Paris. Messi , a substitute, played for half an hour and livened up the party in the second half (4-0).
The marker, however, invites deception. More out of laziness than anything else, he plays convinced that sooner or later the game will give him the chance to win it. It happens often but it does not stop reflecting the essence of a team that stands out for many factors, but not for being the most sacrificed. Against Stade de Reims he signed a weak, heavy first half, stuck in the face of his rival’s good approach.
Òscar García closed with five men behind in order to deny space to a slow PSG with the ball at their feet. Short of ideas, he missed the usual resource of Mbappé .
The French footballer carries the team behind him but this time he did not hit the open field. The Stade de Reims, emboldened on the Parisian pitch, at times drowned out a PSG waiting for someone else’s error to get ahead on a night that was the repetition of so many others.
In the absence of the elusive Mbuku or the dangerous Ekitike surprising Keylor Navas , Verratti did it on the other side. At the edge of the break, Icardi caught a ball in the area, his shot was spit out and the Italian captured the rebound to hit tight, at the base of the post: 1-0.
Without a doubt, the best was the result for a PSG that has to demand more of itself. Real Madrid appears and there is neither a clear evolution nor the sensations invite excessive optimism.
Agreed as it was with Pochettino , Messi entered with half an hour to go. He did it with the clash resolved because in the previous play Sergio Ramos made his debut as a scorer at the exit of a corner kick. The center-back needed two shots to anesthetize a combative Stade de Reims.
PSG woke up in the second half and enjoyed feeling so superior. Messi , participative, assisted Verratti , author of the 3-0 in a lucky shot deflected by two central defenders.
The second half was a ride. The Stade de Reims, remarkable from the outset, faded away as the minutes passed, frustrated at seeing an abyss on a night in which PSG was not so bad. Danilo put the sentence in a great play by Mbappé , a greyhound dressed as a footballer.
His Portuguese teammate appeared on the front to clinch with luck because his shot had an unexpected effect again after touching a defender. PSG don’t like it, but they win. And Messi is back.