The Argentine world champion provided his 300th goal pass at club level. The Parisian team once again had a mediocre performance, but is 11 points ahead as the leader of Ligue 1.
Even with the fresh memory of their elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions Leaguehe Paris Saint Germain He returned this Saturday to sign a mediocre performance and had to be rescued by Kylian Mbappethat on time and with the assistance of the Argentine Lionel Messiscored 2-1 to camouflage with a victory over the Brest the problems of his team, which is marching calmly to the Ligue 1 title by falling behind 11 points of his escort Olympique de Marseille.
Messi, mobile and participatory throughout the attack front of the Parisians, gave a lethal first touch to the counterattack that was crowned by the French forward dribbling goalkeeper Marco Bizot. The problem, as many other times, is that the ball is given to them in positions where the Rosario cannot be transcendent.
On some occasions surrounded by many rivals, other times without being able to organize the game, the 35-year-old world champion has to manage to have clear opportunities. Barely two accurate shots on goal had the ’30’both in the second half: first he made goalkeeper Bizot roll and then his left-footed attack from inside the area was wide.
That his companions do not help him, he said to himself? Read this: in the first half there was a free kick in the crescent of the area that was ideal for the left-footed ‘Flea’. The Brest goalkeeper set up the barrier and, suddenly, two local players went down to the posts, which led to the PSG team invading the six-yard box as there was no possible offside.
Messi stood up to hit the goal, obviously. His punching, it is known, does not know degrees of difficulty. But what the Rosario did not count on is that the Italian Marco Verratti – who lost the decisive ball last Wednesday against Bayern Munich – was going to get in the way of his shot. All an indicator.
In the week of (new) speculation about his future, the Argentine striker showed his desire to change the team’s image, although they barely stayed in attempts and short periods. He almost always sought to associate with Mbappé. In fact, that’s how the first goal for the Parisians arrived: Messi brought together three rivals and released for the captain who took a vibrant shot that complicated the goalkeeper with a long rebound, capitalized by Carlos Soler. The Spaniard had already warned with a right hand to the crossbar in which the ‘Flea’ enabled him with his head.
Until then, Brest had only defended itself, but little by little they were encouraged to exploit the other half of the field and expose all the defensive problems that PSG has. A couple of tepid announcements were the prelude to the tie, just before halftime, with a barbaric pitch from Roman Castillo for running at full power Franck Honorat between Ramos and Pembelé, who closed with a left-footed shot into the corner. great goal.
PSG had another 45 minutes left to reset their lackluster performance and show a healthier image. His legs were still heavy from the Munich debacle and he was not reacting. He even came very close to hitting another ugly trip, but Lilian Brassier’s header missed the goal.
Timidly and almost out of obligation, he seemed to push the Parisian team, but he did not count on Bizot. The Brest goalkeeper took those two already counted shots from Messi and was saved by Mbappé’s poor aim, who did not find the goal in a placed shot that did not give enough thread.
But the famous hierarchy that is often used to mark technical and tactical differences in all sports also appeared in the westernmost tip of French Brittany. At 89, three touches were enough for PSG to go from area to area: Nuno Mendes found the alley for Messi, who at the first touch and almost from behind, saw the perfect diagonal of Mbappé who ran alone, dribbled Bizot and defined the empty arch.
It was the 300th pass-goal at the club level for the 35-year-old from Rosario, who also accumulates 353 at all levels and is the highest in history, also, in that area. The 800th goal has to keep waiting, will the third -next Sunday against Rennes in the Parque de los Príncipes- be the charm or will you wait to try to do it with the Argentine National Team in the first friendlies as world champion?
