Paris finish in style against Brugge!

A final outing to close out a thrilling 2021 on the European scene - that was the mission for the Parisians on Tuesday evening as they played host to Club Brugge at the Parc des Princes. Extra credit: our Les Rouge et Bleu had a chance to fine-tune the exciting Mbappé-Messi-Di Maria front three.

It did not take long to realise that the Parisians were in fine fettle - the irrepressible Kylian Mbappé found the back of the net after just one minute! After initiating a fine move with Nuno Mendes down the left, the world champion found himself on the spot to conclude the move and finish with a deft side-footed shot (1-0, 1'). A boost before the coup de grace!

Because, shortly afterwards, it was Mbappé who once again stepped up, producing a sublime scissor-kick to conclude a copybook move from the capital club! (2-0, 6') A delightful goal cooked up by the club's all-time assists leader Angel Di Maria. Incisive runs, technical excellence, a one-two, a scissor-kick finish: our Parisians put all the ingredients together to make sure this early kick-off fixture was a spectacle - and remind everyone that there is no such thing a match without stakes.

Mauricio Pochettino's men started off on the right foot and continued to exert strong pressure, with Leo Messi raining down chances on Simon Mignolet's box. And the Argentine's efforts paid off! Played in at the entrance of the area following a rush from Mbappé, the No 30 unleashed a trademark shot to score Paris's third goal (3-0, 37')!

Needing to score to clinch a place in the next round of the Europa League, Brugge did try to reverse the stream when Rits struck at the beginning of the second half (3-1, 68'), but this did not prevent our Parisians from finding a second wind in the last quarter of an hour. After several changes in the middle of the park, Les Rouge et Bleu increased their lead with a penalty converted by the magician Leo Messi, an effort that left Mignolet rooted to the spot (4-1, 76').

Comforted by this goal, the Parisians saw out the last 15 minutes comfortably. And it was on this beautiful note that the capital club won its final group phase match. Now the capital club's European agenda must wait until the spring - so see you then!