Relief, hope as Messi scores first PSG goal

PARIS (Reuters) – Lionel Messi scored his maiden goal for Paris Sint-Germain in Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory against Manchester City and there was a sense of relief at the Ligue 1 club after the Argentine’s stuttering start to the season.

Messi had been unconvincing in his first three appearances since joining on a two-year contract after leaving Barcelona, but on Tuesday, he reminded everyone of his talent.

After a quiet first half, the diminutive forward linked up with Kylian Mbappe and found the top corner to effectively wrap up the win in the 74th minute.

His goal sent the Parc des Princes crowd into raptures and prompted a rare celebration from coach Mauricio Pochettino.

“I’ve spent 20 years watching him score goals from the other side of the opposite pavement and it’s the first time he scores for a team I manage so I had to celebrate,” Pochettino said with a smile.

Expectations have been sky high for PSG’s attacking trio of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar and Pochettino last weekend had to play down talk of a fallout between the Frenchman and the Brazilian.

While they have yet to hit top gear, Tuesday’s game showed promise.

“I am very happy to have scored,” said Messi, back on the pitch after sitting out two games with a bruised knee.

City manager Pep Guardiola, who coached Messi at Barcelona from 2008-12, said his team played well but that it was impossible to keep a lid on a players like Mbappe, Messi and Neymar.

“We cannot control them for 90 minutes. The only way I know – there are two ways actually, is first defend and pray, and the second is to have the ball and create and that’s what we did. But we have to create more and be more aggressive,” the Spaniard said.

“I wish [Messi] the best, I hope that he’s happy and enjoying it here. He made me so happy when we were together.”

Klopp: Liverpool’s free-scoring form counts for nothing against City

Meanwhile, Liverpool must deliver a “complex and complete” performance against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday if it is to have any chance of beating the Premier League champion, manager Jurgen Klopp said.

Liverpool has scored 20 goals in six games in September, including a 5-1 hammering of Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Klopp was reluctant to get carried away with his side’s free-scoring form.

“We conceded as well some or a few,” said Klopp of the September run. “We play against City, I don’t think now it makes too much sense to think too much about how many goals we can score against them.

“We need a complex and complete performance against them to have a chance only and that’s it.”

Liverpool is top of the Premier league with 14 points, one more than City, and Klopp said he expected a tough test.

“We have to work hard, we had to work hard in all the games we had, tonight, last Saturday. It’s really tough,” he added.