A team, a trio, and a qualification: Paris go to town!

A volcanic atmosphere, a special European evening, with a qualification to go out and secure: this was the scene that awaited our Rouge et Bleu in the most prestigious competition in club football. Les Parisiens faced Maccabi Haifa with the intention of securing their place in the Round of 16. Despite sticking with the same system, Christophe Galtier slightly reworked his starting eleven, opting to start with a midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Renato Sanches, behind the attacking force of Neymar Jr, Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

The day's task was clear: how to find the breakthrough against such an agressive and well organised side? Our Parisiens would need solidarity, intensity and generosity in order to do so. The start of the match quickly set the tone for what was to come, with the home side creating chance after chance, thanks to the creativity we have come to expect from the trio. Neymar Jr created the first real chance when he found Fabian Ruiz (9'), then had the most dangerous chance for himself when Mbappé had played him through (18').

There was no time to be disappointed, given that the Parc des Princes exploded less than a minute after another gem of a pass from the Frenchman! And who better than the genius that is Leo Messi to beautifully curl the ball into the opposite corner of the net (1-0, 19'). A work of art!

Understandably, trailing behind had bothered the visitors and the electricity in the ground upped another notch. And just a few minutes after taking a knock, it was Kylian Mbappé who made things worse for the Israeli side! The provider turned goalscorer, with a similar finish to his teammate: a sublime curled effort into the back of the net, but with the inside of his boot this time! (2-0, 32').

What a delight to see the spectacle on show from the attacking trio! After a rapid break from the Paris Saint-Germain forward line, Neymar Jr, was found by Leo, and he too added his name to the scoresheet (3-0, 34'). In the same way as in the first match, MNM had found the back of the net!

This lead didn't impact the Maccabi's motivation, and they even managed to reduce the lead when Seck found the back of the net (3-1, 38'). But Les Parisiens were far from done and a typically clinical strike with his magical boot, saw Leo Messi further extend their lead before the break (4-1, 44'). It was a goal that also saw Kylian Mbappé pick up his fourth assist in three matches!

The home side were pegged back once more after the break, when Seck headed home a second goal of the match (4-2, 49'). It didn't take them long to react, however, with another move that reflected their performance. An inch-perfect ball from Achraf Hakimi found Mbappé, who proceeded to curl another effort into the back of the net! (5-1, 64'). In the minutes that followed, Neymar Jr also got an assist when he forced Goldberg into turning the ball into the back of his own net (6-2, 62').

A large lead that allowed Les Parisiens to manage the end of the match, without forcing the supporters to sit through the remainder of the match on tenterhooks, like the countless crosses from Leo Messi (77'), or the final assist of the encounter for the Argentine, which allowed Carlos Soler to strike into the net (7-2, 83').

Thanks to this victory, Paris Saint-Germain secure their spot in the Round of 16 of the Champions League 2022-23. The group stage will come to a close with a final trip to the other side of the Alps, where Les Rouge et Bleu will take on Juventus in eight days.