Rival followers beg Lionel Messi for mercy – and PSG oblige as all-star line-up falls flat on Argentine star’s Champions League debut

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Lionel Messi endured a irritating first Champions League look for Paris Saint-German because the French giants had been unable to beat Membership Brugge, regardless of lining up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe alongside the Argentine.

Soccer followers had been salivating on the prospect of an all-star exhibiting from PSG when the workforce information revealed that attacking trio Messi, Mbappe and Neymar would all be beginning a sport collectively for the primary time because the Argentine magician made his summer season transfer from Barcelona.

Some Brugge followers on the Jan Breydel Stadium appeared terrified on the prospect, with one brandishing a banner earlier than kick-off asking the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to have mercy on the house workforce.

And after Mbappe broke down the left to chop the ball again for Ander Herrera to deftly steer it house and open the scoring within the 15th minute, it appeared as if it may very well be a protracted evening for the lesser-fancied Belgians.

However Brugge didn’t wilt within the face of their expensively-assembled company, and continued to look the livelier of the 2 groups all through the half.

The hosts earned simply reward for his or her endeavors with an equalizer on 27 minutes, when a cut-back from the industrious Eduard Sobol on the left was met by Hans Vanaken, whose shot deflected off Presnel Kimpembe and previous a despairing Keylor Navas.

Not lengthy after, Messi got here agonizingly near his first objective for his new membership, rattling the crossbar with a curling strike from outdoors the field.

The Argentine had additionally discovered strike accomplice Mbappe earlier on within the evening, however the Frenchman spurned probability.

Brugge continued to frustrate, trouble and harry, as they shut down the area whereas providing threats on the different finish.

Neymar – as so typically – flattered to deceive by overly-complicating issues, and PSG had been additional hindered once they misplaced Mbappe to damage 5 minutes into the second half.

Making a 150th Champions League look, however his first ever for a workforce not named Barcelona, Messi had a shot saved by Simon Mingolet within the 70th minute after gathering a Neymar go and jinking into the field.

The Argentine was then booked two minutes later when the ball ran away from him and he caught Mats Rits trying to get well it. 

Messi toiled in Belgium however was unable to make the breakthrough. © AFP

Summing up Messi and PSG’s evening, the Argentine star skied the ball nicely over the bar from contained in the field when introduced with alternative approaching the final 10 minutes.

Brugge held on for a draw which the group celebrated like a victory, justifiably contemplating the constellation of stars that had lined up in opposition to them.

On-line, in the meantime, questions had been being requested of whether or not PSG supervisor Mauricio Pochettino would be capable of get one of the best of a workforce which – on paper at the very least – seems to be a lifeless cert to go deep on this 12 months’s competitors.

Others laid the blame squarely on the toes of Messi’s new teammates for apparently not doing sufficient to facilitate his greatness, sharing one clip specifically which confirmed the star looking for choices whereas his fellow PSG gamers watched on. 

Nonetheless looking for a maiden PSG objective, Messi and his workforce face Ligue 1 video games in opposition to Lyon, Metz and Montpellier subsequent, earlier than a blockbuster Group A Champions League conflict with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis on September 28.

By that point, they are going to hope Messi has acquired off the mark for his new paymasters.