disappointing, PSG are still doing well thanks to Messi, Mbappé and Neymar against Maccabi Haifa

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In less than two months, Israel will have seen two versions of Paris Saint-Germain. Seven weeks after PSG’s sparkling victory in the Champions Trophy against Nantes (4-0) in Tel Aviv, the capital club disappointed in the Sammy Ofer stadium in Haifa on Wednesday, September 14, at theoccasion of the second day of the Champions League. Never really at their best level, and quickly led to the score, the Parisians still got away with goals from Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

The awakening of Messi sounded the death knell for the hopes of Maccabi, who almost took advantage of the apathy of the Parisians on the return from the locker room to take the advantage again, with three dangerous situations (49th, 52nd, 58th). La Pulga has put PSG back on track, by obtaining two clear chances, saved in extremis by Josh Cohen, the goalkeeper of Haifa. It was he, above all, who perfectly launched Mbappé on the 2-1 goal, which allowed his team to take the advantage (69th).

Mbappé, like Messi and Neymar, had experienced a difficult first period. It must be said that the PSG players started the match with a senator’s pace, far from what a coach expects. Christophe Galtier must have bubbled from his technical area when he saw the low intensity put on the field by his protégés, as if embarrassed by the evening heat in Haifa and this dry lawn. PSG however obtained the first two situations of the match, spoiled by a particularly clumsy Mbappé this evening (2nd, 11th), apart from his goal.

As sufficient offensively as defensively, Paris gave in after a recovery error, Tjaronn Chery cutting off the center of Dolev Haziza (24th). A goal, followed by a fright less than ten minutes later with that scored by Frantzdy Pierrot, finally canceled for an offside position (33rd). A warning which finally made the Parisians react, returned to equality thanks to the opportunism of Messi (37th).

However, this scenario did not revive the enthusiasm of Galtier’s players, who suffered against the reigning Israeli champions. Midfielder Vitinha-Marco Verratti, convincing against Juventus Turin last week, was insufficient, despite the Italian’s assist late in the game for Neymar (88th), as well as the pistons Nordi Mukiele and Nuno Mendes. For its part, the Mbappé-Messi-Neymar trio took more than an hour to finally find each other.

Paris will also be able to thank Gianluigi Donnarumma, vigilant on several occasions (11th, 45 + 2nd, 49th, 90 + 5th). Because, statistically, Maccabi Haifa did better than resist PSG (13 shots everywhere). But this is the trend that has been emerging for a week and the disappointing second period against Juventus: Paris is going through its first slack of the season, while managing to get out of it for the moment. With this success against Maccabi Haifa, PSG put an end to a series of five consecutive games without an away win in C1.

The capital club has mainly taken six points after two days and occupies first place in group H, tied with Benfica Lisbon, winner on the lawn of Juventus (2-1). The Parisian club is well launched for its qualification in the round of 16 but will have to manage its double confrontation in early October against the Portuguese club to take an option on the first place of the group. Before that and the upcoming international break, PSG will have to show a better face on Sunday, on the lawn of Olympique Lyonnais.


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