Lionel Messi finally scored his first PSG goal, and it was a quintessential strike from his time at Barcelona

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Lionel Messi finally scored his first PSG goal, and it was a quintessential strike from his time at Barcelona
Messi scored PSG’s second in a 2-0 win over Manchester City. Getty/Harry Langer
  • Lionel Messi finally scored his first goal for PSG on Tuesday in a 2-0 win over Manchester City.
  • The Argentine had failed to score in his first three matches for the Ligue 1 giant.
  • "I was getting desperate to score my first goal," Messi said after the match.
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Lionel Messi finally scored his first goal for Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday as the Ligue 1 giant swept aside Manchester City 2-0 in a thrilling Champions League group game.

Messi had failed to score in his first three appearances for his new side, but broke his duck with a beautiful curled effort against City after Idrissa Gueye had opened the scoring.

In a fashion eerily reminiscent from his time at FC Barcelona - the Argentine ran from the halfway line before playing a one-two with Kylian Mbappe and bending home from 20-yards.

Deafening celebrations ensued around the Parc des Princes as Messi ran away with his arms in the air and was mobbed by his teammates.

"It's true that I was getting desperate to score my first goal," Messi told French broadcaster Canal Plus after the match.

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"I hadn't played much recently and I had only played once here at home but I am settling into the team little by little."

Aside from his goal, Messi stole the show on the night against his former boss Pep Guardiola.

No PSG player had more successful passes than Messi's 43 in the game, while the Argentine also contributed defensively, with 16 of his 60 touches coming in his own half.

At one point, he also laid on the ground behind his teammates to act as a draft excluder for a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick.

PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino praised the 34-year-old's performance, calling him the "best player in the world."

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"I think it was amazing, his performance," Pochettino told BT Sport. "And he scored an amazing goal. He's the best player in the world, that is no doubt."

He added: "Usually I don't celebrate goals, I keep it to myself. But today, for Messi, I did.

"I spent years watching Messi score goals from the opponent's side - so this time, scoring for my team, that's great."

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