Not all addictions are harmful. There are some that we delight in, enjoy and that we would like to be able to gorge on again and again. Paris has, this Tuesday evening, changed nothing in its habits at the Parc des Princes. And this is the best news of the evening, of the week, of the month even, so much the routine that it imposed on the Parisian public on the occasion of this 5th and penultimate day of the group stage of the Ligue des champions, undoubtedly delighted a large part of all those who had planted themselves in the stands or in front of their small screen.
As it has become accustomed to since the beginning of September, the Messi-Neymar-Mbappé triplet once again scored (almost) all of Paris Saint-Germain’s goals this Tuesday against Haifa. With one major nuance: the trio, which had been averaging just over one goal per game (1.5) for almost eight weeks, offered a shower of goals and MNM bulimia to its audience.
Magical Messi, sharp Mbappé
The triplet, who had already scored seven Parisian goals this season in the Champions League, almost doubled their total in the space of just 90 minutes. As if the smoke bombs and pyrotechnic devices deployed at the start of the match by the Haifa supporters had set the tone of the evening, the MNM placed it under the sign of fireworks.
A magnificent “Dependency Day”, as if straight out of a video game, which confirms that the three Parisian stars are not only essential to the well-being of their team when they strive to replay the score close to perfection which waltzed all their opponents during the summer. With a magical Messi, author of two caresses from the left and two assists, a sharp Mbappé, back to last season’s standard, half-passer (2) half-scorer (2), and a Neymar scorer and decisive ( a provoked csc goal) also concerned, Paris can undoubtedly dream bigger. Provided, of course, to settle his defensive concerns, to sweep away his few mistakes which cost him two goals that were certainly avoidable.
Nobody, tonight, will dwell on the details. Thanks to Carlos Soler’s first goal – served by Messi – Paris has signed a rare card in the Champions League since it is the third time after the success against Rosenborg (2000) and Celtic (2017) that it has won in scoring 7 goals in the competition.
It remains to finish the job next week in Turin, without Neymar, who will be suspended. To ensure first place in Group H, Paris will have to do at least as well against the Old Lady as Benfica against Haifa. But the main thing, everyone knows, is elsewhere. PSG is, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the only club in Europe to invite itself for the eleventh time in a row in the knockout stages of the Champions League. It will be a question, this time, of not being the only one of the band to bury his dreams of coronation there.
