September 16, (THEWILL) – Mauricio Pochettino’s show of force, starting the game with an attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, did not achieve the desired results as Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 1-1 draw by Club Brugge on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.
It was an unexpected result as the home team held on for what is a precious point against a formidable opponent. For starters, the striking trio of Mbappe (37), Messi (36) and Neymar (31) account for three of the six players to have recorded 30-plus goal involvements in the Champions League across the last four campaigns.
Moreover, the last time the hosts welcomed the French side to Belgium in October 2019, PSG scored five goals in one of the most one-sided European club competition results in history.
Mbappe was again at the heart of almost every PSG goal threat and for teed up Ander Herrera for the opener. This appeared like a marker of things to come but Club Brugge kept to their game plan.
Club Brugge responded excellently to going behind early, exploiting Pochettino side’s defensive woes to earn a memorable point and hold the visitors to their second draw in seven appearances against Belgian opposition in the competition.
By doing so, Brugge proved everyone who expected them to crumble wrong. Hans Vanaken’s found the back of the net for his fifth goal in eight games in the competition.
PSG fans, who were looking forward to a glorious display by their frightening attack, were left crestfallen and dissatisfied with the defensive lapses and untaken scoring chances. Messi came the closest to adding to the scoreline when, in trademark fashion, he drifted in from the right flank to curl an effort beyond Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, only to see the shot come back off the bar.
Messi appeared off the pace, Neymar had a quiet night, and matters got worse when Mbappe asked to be substituted in the second half for what appears to be an Achilles injury. It was a picture of the PSG story: eminently qualified but limping away to a poorer side.
They next face Manchester City, whose clinical display last season in the competition’s semifinal was too much for PSG to handle.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
