Paris and Bruges share the spoils in a highly fought encounter
On their return to the prestigious Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a draw against Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium (1-1). Here's a look at what happened!
Three months after their semi-final, the club from the capital was finally back in the Champions League! And it was in Bruges that our Parisians made their first stop on this new challenge. For the game, Mauricio Pochettino started the Messi-Mbappé-Neymar Jr trio for the first time in a 4-3-3 formation, in an eleven that was still being learning to play together.
The stadium was on its feet, and their opponents were motivated and passionate: all the ingredients were there for an intense evening of football. And there were a few scary moments. But it was Paris who struck first! The breakthrough came from a pair of players who have been in great form since the start of the season. Following a counter-attack on the left started by an unstoppable Kylian Mbappé, the world champion then found Ander Herrera, whose effort found the back of the net! (0-1, 15').
It took Bruges barely ten minutes to return the favour, when Vanaken equalised after a cross from the left (1-1, 27'). In a completely crazy game, both sides went at each other blow for blow! In the wake of the Belgian goal, Leo Messi hit the bar with a delightful curling shot (29'), while at the other end of the pitch they needed a great performance from Keylor Navas to deny the Belgians from scoring again.
Pochettino two changes after the break, bringing on Danilo Pereira and Julian Draxler to try and regain control of the game, while Kylian Mbappé, who had previously been a constant threat, went off with an injury a few minutes later. The Bruges players, spurred on by their fans, tried to take advantage of this to break down the Parisians. However, it took a lot of determination and solidarity to withstand their attacks.
The final thirty minutes were as tense as you would expect in a big game. With the omnipresent Messi and Nuno Mendes at the forefront of the game, the Rouge et Bleu pushed forward to find the winner, but the scoreline stayed level.
Paris proved last season that the group stage is a long, hard slog. As they wait to host Manchester City and fine-tune their system, the club from the capital will return to domestic action with a home clash against Olympique Lyonnais. Game on!