CNN —
Lionel Messi celebrated his instrumentality to Paris Saint-Germain with a extremity successful his archetypal crippled backmost since lifting the World Cup.
The 35-year-old lone returned to grooming successful the caller twelvemonth aft taking immoderate clip disconnected to observe and recuperate aft Qatar 2022, wherever helium yet won the trophy that had ever eluded him successful 1 of the greatest finals ever.
But the guardant didn’t look to beryllium suffering immoderate hangover arsenic helium returned to enactment with a extremity from adjacent scope successful PSG’s 2-0 triumph against Angers connected Wednesday.
Messi besides paid tribute to Pelé earlier the match, joining his teammates successful wearing a t-shirt with the Brazilian’s look connected it during the warmup.
PSG sits comfortably apical of the league contempt Christophe Galtier having to power up his squad arsenic helium eases players backmost successful aft the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappé, a beaten finalist successful Qatar, was rested for Wednesday’s match, allowing the likes of youngster Hugo Ekitiké to get immoderate crippled time.
The 20-year-old guardant has impressed erstwhile fixed the accidental this play and opened the scoring with a sweeping decorativeness successful the archetypal half.
Messi, who dovetailed the onslaught alongside Neymar Jr., past doubled the pb successful the 72nd infinitesimal aft a good timed tally and close ft finish.
The linesman had initially flagged for offside, but the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) overruled the telephone and the extremity was given.
The triumph connected Messi’s instrumentality is immoderate invited bully quality for PSG, who lost successful the league for the archetypal clip this play past week, 3-1 distant to Lens.
“Yes, it was precise important to get backmost to winning ways. We person rivals who are pushing hard,” Galtier told PSGTV aft the game.
“We knew that we were going to person a hard lucifer due to the fact that Angers is simply a squad that plays bully shot and poses large problems connected a tactical level.
“I besides importune connected the information that the concern – post-World Cup – means that we person had a batch of players absent, that the radical was precise scattered and that, small by little, everyone is coming backmost and reconnecting.”
PSG, which is six points wide atop the table, plays Rennes successful its adjacent crippled connected Sunday.
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