October 20, (THEWILL) – Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in a tense UEFA Champions League Group A match at Parc des Princes thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
The 34-year-old Messi had had a quiet night by his standards, but two goals in seven second-half minutes from the Argentine magician turned the game around and extended PSG’s unbeaten run in Europe.
Kylian Mbappe finished a rapid counter-attack with a beautiful low right-footed shot that beat Peter Gulacsi at his near post within 10 minutes of kickoff.
However, Leipzig posed a significant threat on the counter-attack, with Andre Silva coming close to equalising before being denied by the post.
The Portuguese forward was not to be denied again just moments later when left unmarked to tap home Angelino’s cross to end the first half 1-1.
After the restart, the visitors took a deserved lead, and Angelino was the architect once more. Nordi Mukiele was the beneficiary of another sumptuous cross from the former Manchester City wingback, who slotted a first-time shot past a helpless Keylor Navas.
Mauricio Pochettino responded by making a double personnel change, with Georginio Wijnaldum and Danilo replacing Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye, respectively.
Then fortune smiled on PSG after a poor back pass fell to Mbappe, who ran into the box and cut it back for Messi to score and restore parity.
Six minutes later, Mbappe was brought down in the penalty area. Messi stepped up and scored in style, sending the keeper the wrong way with a smoothly taken Panenka.
In injury time, Mbappe had a chance to score the fourth goal, but he blazed his penalty over the bar.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
