The Parisians win in the volcano of Haifa

It was in Israel, almost two months after their Trophée des Champions triumph, that the Parisians returned to their European adventure. Faced with a hectic schedule, Christophe Galtier's team took on Maccabi Haifa with a starting eleven based around a defensive trio of Ramos-Marquinhos-Danilo, with the Verratti-Vitinha pairing in midfield setting the tempo.

In a stunning atmosphere and a green-clad Sammy Ofer Stadium, the Parisians quickly felt the fervour of the home crowd, which had been waiting for more than 12 years for the return of the Champions League. It was a very intense first half in which the Rouge et Bleu were forced back in defence. We did see our forwards trying to spoil the party... but the reality here in Haifa was the volcano promised to our Red and Blue.

Under unbearable pressure, our Parisians were not allowed the slightest error and needed to be extremely alert to the threatening attacks from the hosts. And if Donnarumma resisted for a long time, making numerous saves (11', 13', 15', 17'), he was unable to slow down their efforts, which eventually led to Chery's opening goal for the home side (1-0, 24').

A lot of courage was needed then, to try and find some breathing space in a match that was not allowing any. These efforts were rewarded thanks to a goal from Leo Messi. The Argentinian virtuoso took advantage of a Kylian Mbappé cross to score a clinical equaliser (1-1, 37').

A reaction came from the hosts, flying out of the blocks to challenge Donnarumma again, who was solid enough to keep out a powerful shot from Chery (45+4'). For our Red and Blue, the problem remained the same in the second half: to be patient enough to break through the compact block while plugging the gaps in defence. The pressure was mounting, and twice Leo Messi came close to finding the back of the net (60', 63'), before managing to return the favour to Mbappé. The No.7 side footed the ball sweetly to find the far corner of the net (1-2, 69'). In the process, he became the club's joint top scorer in the Champions League (30). One for the history books.

The immediate takeaway from this performance was the ability of the entire team to resist in the face of adversity. To the very end. On a final attack, Neymar Jr 's clinical strike rounded off the Parisian victory (1-3, 88').

On Wednesday evening, it was important to avoid the trap set by this tenacious and determined team. With persistence, the French champions overcame these small difficulties to collect a precious victory - their second consecutive in this European campaign. Mission accomplished.