- Lionel Messi breaks Champions League record.
- Benfica holds off Paris Saint-Germain.
- Messi opened the scoring after some lovely passing between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
In their Champions League match on Wednesday at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Benfica held Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw despite Lionel Messi’s magnificent opening goal setting yet another record.
Midway through the first half, Messi opened the scoring after some lovely passing between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, followed by a signature curling left-foot strike from the edge of the area. The Argentine superstar scored the goal, making him the first player in Champions League history to net goals against 40 different opponents.
However, Benfica came back in the 41st minute when an inviting in-swinging cross from Enzo Fernandez was deflected into the goal by PSG defender Danilo.
As a result, after three games, PSG and Benfica are still tied for first place in Group H in terms of points. On Tuesday, the two sides will cross paths one more in Paris. After picking up their first victory of the season against pointless Maccabi Haifa, Juventus is currently in third place with three points.
The better team going into the match on Wednesday, Benfica’s press disrupting PSG’s flow. Gianluigi Donnarumma had to step up on several times to thwart the home team’s efforts.
But Messi appeared to have flipped the game on its head with a flash of brilliance.
There were three of PSG’s top attacking players involved. After finding Mbappe, who sent the ball to Neymar, who then passed it back to Messi for a spectacular goal, Messi drove in from the right and found Mbappe.
The 35-year-old has now scored for club and country in six straight matches, something he hasn’t done in nearly four years.
PSG appeared poised to seize control, but some shaky defending allowed Benfica a chance to tie the score. The equalizer also had a dash of luck, as Fernandez’s cross appeared to skip Goncalo Ramos’ head before glancing off Danilo’s chest and beating Donnarumma.
The defending champions from France came out for the second half with more fervor, and they nearly took the lead numerous times. Neymar’s amazing overhead kick hit the post, and Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos had to make some deft saves against Achraf Hakimi and Mbappe.
But after a powerful run in the closing 10 minutes, Donnarumma needed to be on his toes to stop Rafa Silva from scoring from close range.
In the 81st minute, Messi was removed. The substitution of Pablo Sarabia, according to PSG coach Christophe Galtier, was made purely because Messi was worn out.
“He gave a sign that he intended to remove himself. He felt worn out during the last sprint. He left because a more rested teammate would have been a much better choice at that time because he was worn out “After the game, Galtier commented to RMC Sport.
In the end, both teams likely won’t be very unhappy with a point apiece.
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