We know that love stories usually end badly. We are less used to them being born in difficulty. As if his status as an exceptional player destined him to definitely live nothing like the others, it is from the sidelines that Lionel Messi landed in the very last seconds of his second date with Paris his second success with the club of the capital. Four days after his disappointing exit in Bruges (1-1) in the Champions League, the Argentinian leader not only showed a completely different face against Lyon, at the end of the 6th day of Ligue 1. But after having given up on the three points of victory in Belgium, the Argentine genius saw the Park vibrate when Icardi offered a sixth success to his team in Ligue 1 after additional time.
For this historic meeting under the eyes of Raï, elected best in the history of PSG, the one who is considered by many to be the best player in the history of football has not yet changed the meeting.
But because genius also consists in knowing how to magnify the intangible, to spread smiles around you, to make the eyes shine and to make what surrounds you suddenly more sparkling, the Argentinian seemed to show life in pink to this Paris more attractive, at least in sequence, than the one that disappointed Wednesday in Belgium.
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The audacity first came from Mauricio Pochettino who, by integrating Angel Di Maria, suspended for 3 games on the European stage, from the Messi-Neymar-Mbappé trio, undoubtedly aligned the most offensive eleven of his early reign . With a Donnarumma, preferred to Navas, in the cage, the debut of the explosive Nuno Mendes on the left flank and the return of Gueye in a formation aligned in 4-2-3-1, the bet could have, should have been s immediately pay off.
More legs, more concerned also with defensive tasks, the dream team of the attack had to wait to see Messi send some shivers in the opposing defense, touch the bar on a free kick and then run to the mark after the goal of Paqueta, before finally making his own. Failing to allow the Argentine to open his statistics in his role of axial playmaker, Paris will have treated the suspense, seen a stunning Neymar afford his first goal of the season by equalizing on a penalty (65th), to Kylian Mbappé to sign his fourth assist and Mauro Icardi, impeccable head (90 + 3rd), to recall that there was a fifth thief in the offensive squad.
Happy as a kid Neymar could not help but go dancing and offer his jersey to Auteuil supporters.
Paris does not yet scare its opponents, but it showed, this Sunday evening, that it could still do the job.
If everything is far from being perfect, that it will still take time and matches before finding the automatisms that will make it a scarecrow, PSG has also shown character.
Virtues that Pochettino and Messi have necessarily appreciated.
Match sheet
Half-time: 0-0.
Referee:
C. Turpin.
Goals.
PSG: Neymar (66th sp), Icardi (90th + 3);
Lyon: Paqueta (54th).
Warnings.
PSG: Di Maria (6th), Marquinhos (67th), Mendes (89th).
Lyon: A. Lopes (80th)
PSG:
Donnarumma - Kehrer, Marquinhos (cap.), Kimpembe, Mendes - Di María (Icardi, 82nd), Gueye, Messi (Hakimi, 76th), Herrera (Wijnaldum, 86th), Neymar - Mbappé.
Entr.
:
Pochettino
Lyon:
A. Lopes - Gusto, Boateng (Diomandé, 65th), Denayer (cap.), Emerson - Shaqiri (Cherki, 79th), Guimarães, Paqueta (Keita, 86th), Caqueret, Toko Ekambi (Aouar, 65th) - Slimani .
Entr.
:
Bosz