Messi's debut in the Parque de los Príncipes: a gala party that ended with the crack on the bench, Pochettino in the spotlight and Icardi as a hero

Maria Laura Avignolo

09/19/2021 21:40

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 9/19/2021 9:41 PM

The

summit of football

in Paris.

The gala party, Lionel Messi's definitive debut at his home, the splendid

Parc des Princes

stadium

, opposite the Bois de Boulogne.

On a cloudy Sunday and threatening rain, the stands were filled to see him in the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Lyon, one of the traditional and historic opponents of the "Qatari" club.

But it was not a galactic occasion for the best in the world.

He gave his all, but he also "lost" and was retired before the end, furious with the coach.

While he was on the pitch, his friend Neymar

recovered his legs and his style

and was able to accompany him in some of the actions.

Once he was out,

what Messi did not achieve,

Mauro Icardi did: win the game with an agonizing header.

All with two guests of honor in the presidential rostrum:

French

Prime Minister

Jean Castex and

former President

Nicolás Sarkozy, who lives next door, along with Argentine Ambassador Leonardo Constantino and

former

tennis player turned musician

Yannick Noah

.

It was a difficult game, mixed, with a Lyon

prepared to compete with absolute dignity

.

And with an image that ended up stealing the spotlight: that of Messi replaced 15 minutes before the end, his consequent gesture and the controversy.

Prime Minister Jean Castex was present this Sunday night at the Parc des Princes to watch the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyon.

pic.twitter.com/kxVMbBRszd

- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_espanol) September 19, 2021

A sign in the preview?

Mauricio Pochettino is

calm, Cartesian, balanced in the definitions

of his players. "(Messi) is calm. He knows that it may be his first game in front of the fans. But the most important thing is that the team is calm, focused on the idea of ​​playing a better game than on Wednesday," the Argentine PSG coach relativized before the match.

Leo

encountered

tough rivals, but respectful and delighted

to face him. "You have to play hard against him, but with respect ,

" said Peter Bosz coach OL, on

crack

albiceleste. "To counter it

, I think we have to do it collectively. I've seen many games of Messi in the past. I was in home to watch him play and it was a pleasure. It will be a pleasure to face him and I will be even more happy if we win. He is a player who has extraordinary qualities. You can only play against him as a team. We must respect him like all players, "explained the new coach of Olympique Lyonnais.

Before the match, Pochettino mentioned a delicate issue

(and foreboding?)

: When and how to give up the players for the national teams, an issue that will "eventually have to be reviewed", especially with the South Americans.

"We must go for the demand of the results

and not put the health of the players at risk,

" he had warned.

The awkward exit

ليو ميسي لم يصافح بوتشيتينو 😡🤝 pic.twitter.com/BvpB986Fr0

- Messi media (@ Fcbmedia14) September 19, 2021

It was surprising, unexpected.

At 10:10 p.m. in Paris, Pochettino

made a decision that did not make Messi happy

:

he took him out 

and replaced him with Achraf Hakimi in the 76th minute of the game.

In his debut match, Messi ended up on the bench

.

Although he had some good actions that could end in goal in the first 45 minutes, he did not display all his skills or talents.

That, perhaps, was the reason why he removed it.

Messi

did not deprive himself of showing his displeasure

with a black look towards his manager.

He almost ignored the fist of hands that Pochettino threw at him on the edge of the playing field, before looking at him with a strange face, of disbelief, and going to sit on the boat.

He did not understand the coach's decision

and said a few words that no one could repeat.

Messi looks at Pochettino without understanding.

Photo Alain JOCARD / AFP

When it was the press conference, the coach

could not avoid the uncomfortable situation

that occurred on the field of play with his new star.

“I think everyone knows that we have very good players, with a squad of 35 people.

We have to make decisions, in the group and later in the game, thinking about the best for the team and for each player.

Sometimes the decisions are positive or not.

But that's why we train and stay on the sidelines to make decisions.

You may like it or not.

This is my decision.

 They can't play more than eleven ”, said the Argentine coach to explain Messi's departure.

"I asked him how he was doing and he said fine,"

Pochettino replied.

Social networks showed a photo of Pochettino with his hand stretched out and ignored by Messi.

The Argentine was the best of the strikers, but he failed to combine with Mbappé and Neymar again, like the team that DT dreams of.

Not the first, yes the most special

The ultras of PSG.

Photo Noel Smart

The "MNM", as the golden trident has been renamed -Messi, Neymar and Mbappé- had action from the start despite the doubts: the kinesiologists and PSG doctors

performed

miracles

and repaired the ankle and big toe

by Kylian Mbappé, who had been injured in Bruges.

 An orchestra in attack

, especially, which was joined by the tireless Angel Di María, but

which has not yet achieved the goal of harmony.

It was not the first time on this playing field for Messi as a PSG player, after his short social presentation when he arrived in Paris.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner had visited the

Parc des Princes

many times

with

Barça

.

His last match in the Champions League with FC Barcelona was precisely here, last March, with a magnificent goal but

with elimination

in the round of 16.

The Argentine international played often in Paris during his years with the Catalan team.

In fact, his new club is, with English Chelsea, the one that he has faced the most in the European Cup (10 games).

PSG entered with their blue shirts and

to the sound of Phil Collins' music, their mantra

.

The Parisian "ultras" had settled in the Virage Auteuil rostrum.

The Lyon bar, meanwhile, was located to the right with its flags and its band, behind the goal.

Song competition, choreography and insults.

They celebrated the ownership of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé with great ovations when they were announced on the screens.

PSG was warming up,

a "

Showtime

" in front of the fans

, who were delirious.

Red flares were lit in the PSG rostrum and smoke took over the scene.

He even bothered during the first minutes of the game.

Security and budgets

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was present.

Photo Noel Smart

Security at the stadium was as strong as ever.

But around

it had been added concrete anti-bomb bars

because in France the trial for the terrorist attacks in the cafes and Bataclan is being held and the alert is particularly high.

An attack on the Champs Elysees, with a shotgun that afternoon, had left four wounded and tension was felt in Paris.

At 8:45 p.m. the match began

against an opponent who has made three millionaire purchases to play this French League and add competitiveness

.

Lyon recruited Jerome Boateng, a former Bayern, who initially became the headache for PSG until it was sold out;

to Emerson, former Chelsea and Shaquiri, former Liverpool, for this new football challenge.

It was a duel between the two biggest football budgets in France.

PSG is still deprived of the Spanish Sergio Ramos, injured and without making his debut, and of the Italian Marco Verrati.

But he was able to count on the presence of Di Maria and

Idrissa Gueye.

Different result, same diagnosis

“It is normal that we need

time to generate automatisms and that ties are created

between the players.

It just takes time.

We have a hugely talented team and

sooner or later we will find the results

we want, ”the PSG coach had said before the game.

In the end, he

could have confirmed the same diagnosis

.

Although it was not the disappointment of Bruges and this time he took the three points, the PSG interpreters lack hours of playing together, with a common strategy and a complicity that is only achieved with time, not with stratospheric and millionaire transfers .

Life before and after the change: a match, an agonizing triumph

This Sunday PSG had to show that the

most expensive trident in football

did not sound like a piano out of tune, as it happened in Bruges.

They demanded vision, common work, walls, intelligence and above all, goals.

Show a solidity that was not seen in the Champions League game and absolute complicity.

And although there were flashes, it failed to shine.

There was a different Messi on the right, attacking and defending.

He was the author of beautiful

accelerations that left the stadium speechless, sighing

in the first half.

But he could not define on two important occasions: a duel against Lopes after assistance from Neymar stepping on it back with the sole and a masterful free kick that hit the union of the stick with the crossbar.

Neymar on the floor, all Lyon claims.

It was an attractive and tense match.

Photo Noel Smart

Every action of the Argentine is followed with suspicion.

PSG security supervised all the time: you can't film in the stadium.

Television image rights are strictly respected.

Those who do it and do not respect

it are not credited again

.

The Italian PSG goalkeeper had to say present after a play in which

Toko Ekambi

snubbed

Thilo Kehrer

and

crossed

on

Xherdan Shaquiri

, who settled down and kicked left-handed at the far post: Donnarumma rejected it.

Ekambi, Shaquiri and the Brazilian

Paquetá 

were at times a nightmare for PSG.

The stadium was on fire.

In the PSG rostrum there was a fire with a flare.

Security arrived and took control.

It was a great football match in the Parc des Princes, with an audience delighted to see good football,

with Lyon very well prepared

to face the

Galactics

.

They did not stop singing one and the other, encouraging them.

The first half ended tied zero to zero.

The stadium was full and the public, dressed in T-shirts and scarves of their club, with Messi's 30 (which is priced at 180 euros and is the best-selling together with Neymar, Marquinhos and Mbappé) pounced, taking advantage of the latter summer days, on the bars, where food

is ordered in advance online

.

Icardi's great header to victory.

Photo Noel Smart

Upon returning, the emotions did not take long;

maybe even some of them missed it: 8 minutes into the second half, a great

goal by Brazilian Paquetá

, omnipresent on the entire pitch, a great man of the game until then.

At 17 minutes, penalty against Neymar, well manufactured by the Brazilian and penalized by Malo Gusto.

The stadium roared.

The two stands of fans competed with their breath.

Goal of the Brazilian

and looking for victory

.

The magic of football offered a new chapter, this time with technical decision included.

PSG has not yet found the face of a true team, it cannot sound like a violin or look like a perfect ballet.

But when everything was believed lost, Mario Icardi led him to the triumph of a header that sealed the 2 to 1 and closed what was suspense until the end against a rival that was a beautiful team, with very good football.

And with Messi on the bench.

Paris.

Correspondent

Look also

Mauricio Pochettino's explanation about why he took out Lionel Messi

Pochettino took Messi out and not only did the controversy erupt: the memes also appeared