Lionel Messi has made his first appearance on the field since the World Cup in Qatar. In the Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) match against the Angers on Wednesday, Lionel Messi helped score PSG’s first victory in Ligue 1.
The PSG won the match 2-0 and have moved six points up in the standings. The team is now number one in the standings with four wins, one loss, and forty-seven points.
During the match, PSG was not at their best but Messi swept in his 13th club goal of the season. With this goal, he brought the team’s score to 2-0 with 17 minutes left. The one to score the opening goal for PSG is striker Hugo Ekitike.
Messi has now scored 696 goals for Barcelona and PSG in his senior career.
Before this, Messi was resting for PSG’s first three matches following the long break in the season caused by the World Cup. He returned to training in Paris a week ago and was back in the starting line-up for this game against Ligue 1’s bottom side.
“Messi has recovered well. He is relaxed and in great shape physically, and with Leo, the team looks different,” said coach Christophe Galtier.
In addition to Messi, Neymar played in the match. The player thought he has added a third goal late on but it was ruled out for offside. He had missed his team’s last two matches due to suspension and to undergo treatment for the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup.
While Messi and Neymar played, Kylian Mbappe was still missing from the team. Mbappe has rested for a second straight game having been afforded time off for a holiday in New York in the wake of his own World Cup campaign, which saw him score a hat-trick in the final but come out on the losing side. Currently, Mbappe is expected to play again in the next PSG match.
Young striker Hugo Ekitike is currently making up for his absence. He has, again, started in the home attack at the Parc des Princes and opened the scoring in the fifth minute.
This Ligue 1 match against the PSG marks the 10th straight league loss for Angers. The Angers are currently last in the standings with 0 wins and 8 points. If they want a chance at proceeding further in the Ligue 1, they will need to win or end in a draw against the Clermont Foot team on January 15 (Sunday).
Currently, the Clermont Foot is 9th in the standings with two wins, two losses, and one draw with twenty-five points.
The PSG team, on the other hand, will be going against the Rennes on January 16 (Monday). The Rennes team is currently fourth in the standings with two wins, two losses, and one draw with thirty-four points.
The 2022-23 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is the 85th season of the Ligue 1. Having started on August 6, 2022, the competition will end on June 4, 2023. For this season, PSG is the defending champion.
