Twitter erupts as Lionel Messi brace guides PSG to 4-0 win over Montpellier
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) had a comfortable outing on their visit to 13th-placed Montpellier as the front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria all got on the scoresheet.
Montpellier were second-best throughout the game and were put to the sword by the visitors, who looked sharp on the attack.
The home side did get their chances to get back into the game, but were largely wasteful in the final-third and could not test Gianluigi Donnarumma enough in goal. Mbappe and Messi's chemistry was a sight to behold as they played some glamorous one-touch give-and-go football on numerous occasions.
It took the former Barcelona talisman only six minutes to get on the scoresheet. The corner was taken short and worked to Mbappe on the left side, who ventured ahead and made a cut back. Di Maria was in its path but let the ball roll as Lionel Messi applied his magic touch to find the back of the net.
Just 14 minutes later, the Argentina captain completed his brace as PSG started a quick move from the back with Donnarumma playing the ball to Mbappe on the left-flank. The 23-year old then produced a sensational trivella square pass to Lionel Messi who arrived in the box, got the better of the Montpellier shot-stopper with some neat footwork and deposited the ball into the net.
PSG put the game to bed before the half-hour mark as Di Maria also got on the scoresheet in the 26th minute. Mbappe was involved again as he lofted the ball for a dipping cross into the box. Maxime Esteve headed it, but couldn't get the ball out of the box as the Argentine forward arrived and sweetly timed his shot beyond Dimitry Bertaud in goal.
Lionel Messi steps back to let Mbappe score his 25th goal for PSG in Ligue 1
Mbappe was desperate to get on the scoresheet as he is locked in the Golden Boot race with Wissam Ben Yedder. He hit the crossbar in the 34th minute when he tried to find the top right corner. The keeper was well beaten, but the ball rebounded after hitting the upright.
However, Mbappe got his chance to get on the scoresheet in the 57th minute when he was brought down in the box by Arnaud Souquet. The conundrum was whether Lionel Messi would take the penalty to seal his hat-trick or whether the Frenchman would take it to score his 25th goal in French top-flight and move above Ben Yedder.
The Argentine sacrificed his hat-trick and the 23-year old buried it from the spot to seal the game for Mauricio Pochettino's side. Messi fans would have loved to see him take the match ball home, but PSG could not score any more goals on the night as the game ended 4-0. This is how the fans reacted to the clash on Twitter.
@Total_Zlatan @ReshadRahman_ @ferrancorreas Messi is bigger than the whole ligue 1
No hate but mbappe should have given the pen to messi.
LET THE GUY HAVE HIS HAT TRICK FFS!
Even on a hat trick Messi always gives penalties to other people.
Lionel Messi and Ramos smiling in the same picture seems like a dream. https://t.co/v1BHKA8hXd
Messi celebrating his goals with Ramosπ https://t.co/NcYqwVGGgW
Goals/Assists in 2022
Messi: 16 G/A
Ronaldo: 11 G/A
Guess who gets called finished https://t.co/s5vi8p6vGN
Messi scoring in the absence of Neymar oof missing ney a lot right now, Mbappe being Mbappe such a beast giving assists like anything-
PSG will miss him so freaking much, scoring plenty of goals and giving almost that many assists.
I laugh at people that think Messi is done. Especially silly Cules. He will tear that league apart next season.
Mbappe doing the assisting today
Messi doing the scroring
Watching Leo Messi play football is poetry in Motion, We aren't worthy.
Kylian MbappΓ© assisted Messi TWICE tonight but Messi fans are calling him selfish for not giving him the pen.
Weird fanbase.
Kylian Mbappe could legit get 30 assists in all comps playing with Benzema and Vinicius next season.
His goal-scoring is so ridiculous that people don't talk enough about how he is an elite playmaker now, too.
Neymar should've played this match man, easy golsπ
@PSG_English @KMbappe Our idol is finished statpadding in the last few games of the season
@Messilizer Neymar ruins the Messi-Mbappe link up
Mbappe is making Messi look like a good player. This is the type of player weβre getting next season
@Exuberant_17 Both are having a masterclass..but Leo is edging it as of now.. Mbappe has missed some chances and hit the bar.. Messi has been perfect as of now
Mans will lie and say Ronaldo was a midfielder when younger but not call Messi one in recent seasons, expecting poacher numbers. π€£π
Knowing how competitive Kylian is, he lowkey just wants to be the top player in both goals and assists in Ligue 1. Lmaooooo you aint fooling nobody Kylian! I like him. π #MHSCPSG
ofc messi will score it's montpellier not realmadridπ
π€£Xavi simons came in and got booked in less than two minutes ππ€£
Now ik the reason why mbappe had to take the penalty,cause Ben is just behind him lmao scoring a hattrick for Monaco π #MHSCPSG
I don't know what these #MessiCreeps want. Do they know who #Mbappe is. #Ronaldinho stepped aside for #messi, so messi should do the same to a new football hero.
They want Mbappe to give #30 the pen for sympathy like heβs not in an active Golden Boot race
not trying to be rude but i forgot wijnaldum was on the pitch πΆ
Wijnaldum every time he makes an appearance https://t.co/nD5wJyfJ1T
Mbappe's diving at real madrid will win them so many penalties πππ