‘Unstoppable’ Lionel Messi Ends ‘Desperate’ Goal Search For PSG Against Man City

Messi ensured Kevin de Bruyne could not fire his free-kick under the wall

‘Unstoppable’ Lionel Messi Ends ‘Desperate’ Goal

Search For PSG Against Man City

 

It was the moment European football had been waiting for – and the one Pep Guardiola knew was probably “unstoppable”.

Lionel Messi glided forward from the halfway line late on against Manchester City at the Parc des Princes, played a one-two with Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe and left goalkeeper Ederson rooted to the spot with a shot beautifully placed into the top corner.

It was the first club goal of his entire career that had not been scored for Barcelona and sealed a 2-0 victory for the team who signed him primarily to lead them to Champions League glory.

That strike ended a run of 264 minutes without a goal for Messi since his summer move from Spain. Manager Mauricio Pochettino celebrated with a sense of jubilation. Guardiola had seen Messi at close quarters enough to know it was as good as inevitable. Messi himself was left with a huge sense of relief.

“It’s true that I was getting desperate to score my first goal,” Messi told French broadcaster Canal Plus. “I hadn’t played much recently and I had only played once here at home but I am settling into the team little by little.

“The more us forwards play together, the better our relationship will be. We all need to grow together and improve and keep giving our best.”

Lionel Messi
Messi scored with his only shot of the game against Manchester City

It has taken the 34-year-old Argentine more than a month to play his first four games for his new club because of lack of fitness, international duty and then an injury.

He had failed to score in his first three fixtures for PSG – against Reims, Club Bruges and Lyon – after joining on a free transfer in the summer.

By his standards, that was a goal drought.

PSG boss Pochettino, Messi’s fellow Argentine, was delighted to see it ended. “Usually I don’t celebrate goals, I keep it to myself,” he said. “But today, for Messi, I did.

“I spent years watching Messi score goals from the opponent’s side – so this time, scoring for my team, that’s great.”

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