Argentine star Lionel Messi scored a brace and provided two assists as Paris Saint-Germain registered a big 7-2 win over Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.
Apart from Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Carlos Soler were also on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Seck scored a brace for the visiting side.
Coming into the match, Paris Saint-Germain needed a win to qualify for the next stage of the UEFA Champions League. So they were looking for a win at home.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier started with a 4-3-2-1 formation. Gianluigi Donnarumma started under the bar. Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, and Juan Bernat completed the back four. Fabian Ruiz, Renato Sanches and Vitinha
Lionel Messi scores a brace
Defending Ligue-1 champions Paris Saint-Germain had a great start to the match. They took the lead through Lionel Messi in the 19th minute of the game.
Messi received the ball from Mbappe at the box and found the back of the net with an outside-of-the-boot finish. Kylian Mbappe then netted the second goal of the match for PSG. Soon after that Messi assisted Neymar to make it 3-0.
The visiting team pulled one back in the 38th minute. Maccabi defender Abdoulaye Seck found himself in some space and scored with a brilliant header, giving some great joy to the away fans.
Their celebrations however were soon cut short as the Argentine forward netted his second goal of the match with a typical Messi finish. Lionel Messi played a one-two with Mbappe before unleashing a brilliant curler from the edge of the box. The first half ended with a scoreline of 4-1.
PSG stumbled for a second time when the match restarted. Once again, Abdoulaye Seck scored for the visiting side in the first 51st minute with another brilliant header.
PSG however once restored their three-goal lead when French forward Kylian Mbappe netted a brilliant curler. After this goal, Maccabi Haifa looked shattered and from there on it was merely a formality. Christophe Galtier’s team however still kept on searching for the goals.
They scored their sixth goal when Maccabi defender Sean Golberg put the ball in his own goal with a toe poke. The final nail in the coffin was delivered by Carlos Soler. The Spaniard who Lionel Messi found, scored past Maccabi’s goalkeeper to make the score 7-2.
With this win, Paris Saint-Germain have qualified in the round of 16. they have eleven points from five matches and a better goal difference than Benfica.
Meanwhile, Maccabi Haifa will remain in the last position of Group H. They still have a chance to qualify for the Europa League if they finish third in the group.
