"It was a perfect night" - Lionel Messi reacts to scoring his first-ever goal for PSG
Idrissa Gueye's precise opener followed by Lionel Messi's stunning goal sealed a famous result for Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. The Parisians managed to grab all three crucial points against their group stage rivals Manchester City at the Parc des Princes.
Gol ke-1⃣2⃣1⃣ Leo Messi di #UCL 🔥
#PSGMCI https://t.co/KJcDTtyUul
Messi hailed the result as being a perfect night for his new side. The game marked Lionel Messi's first goal in a PSG shirt. In his three earlier attempts, the Argentine was unable to get his name on the scoresheet. Lionel Messi told Canal+:
"It was a perfect night against a great opponent. For us, it was very important to win this game after Brugge (a 1-1 draw away). I am very happy to have scored. I haven't played much recently, I had only played one game here. I am adapting little by little. What is important is to keep winning."
It took 263 minutes for Leo Messi to score for his new club
Mauricio Pochettino's tactics saw PSG's new number 30 drop down into a creative role alongside Marco Verratti with added assistance from Idrissa Gueye and Achraf Hakimi. Operating in the middle of the pitch for most of the game was the prime reason for Messi not getting enough chances to test the keeper.
Gueye provided PSG with an all-important early lead just eight minutes from the start. Pep Guardiola's side came close to finding an equalizer as Bernardo Silva was very unlucky to miss out on scoring from three yards. Silva bizarrely hit the crossbar from a deflected Raheem Sterling header.
City's hopes of a comeback were soon put to bed by an exquisite finish from Messi, in a moment of magic following a pristine one-two along with a dummy Kylian Mbappé. Messi turned back time with a solo trademark run that led to PSG leading 2-0. After the game, Messi said:
"Our relationship will get better and better with each game. We all have to grow together, increase our level of play. We have to continue. We won a very important game against a very big rival, who was in the final last year. We must continue to progress, improve a lot of things for the future."
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Lionel Messi scored his first Paris St-Germain goal in stunning fashion as they beat Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night. #bbcfootball #PSGMCI #UCL
The 34-year-old is visibly hungry for more, having tasted his first goal under Pochettino. Messi also scored in his 17th consecutive Champions League campaign, equalling a record set by Karim Benzema elsewhere in Europe on the same night.