After being substituted off in the 76th minute of PSG’s late 2-1 victory over Lyon on Sunday, Lionel Messi is still without a goal for the club. While Messi was not useless on the field (he fired four shots, two of which hit the mark), the on-field connection between himself, Neymar, KylianMbappe, and Angel di Maria is still developing.
Lucas Paqueta sprinted into the penalty area in the 54th minute and grooved a near-post shot low and out of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s grasp. Neymar was hacked down in the penalty area a dozen minutes later, giving PSG a lifeline. The Brazilian stepped up to the penalty spot and leveled the score for PSG.
Pochettino put in his substitution card shortly after, and the number 30 flashed on the board in flashing red. Lionel Messi’s long, over-the-shoulder style reveals a lot about how he felt at the time, but not quite as much as he’d like to say.
As Lionel Messi adjusts to life at a new club for the first time in his career, Mbappe (4 Ligue 1 goals) and Icardi (3 of his own) have carried PSG through the early part of the season. On Sunday, Neymar scored his first league goal of the season, a penalty.
Karl Toko-Ekambi and Lucas Paquetá both came close before Messi slammed another free-kick off the crossbar after Neymar was fouled. After a wonderful ball from TokoEkambi, Paquetá broke through the Parisian defense to fire past Gigi Donnarumma.
Mauro Icardi eventually emerged as the hero, but not until the 92nd minute, when PSG appeared to be on the verge of dropping points in Ligue 1 for the first time this season. Mbappe floated a lovely pass into the box, and Icardi rose high to head it back across goal, sending the Parc des Princes into raptures.
PSG has a perfect 18 points from their first six games in Ligue 1, five points clear of second-placed Marseille, who has a game in hand. PSG’s next match is against 20th-placed Metz on Wednesday.
