LIGUE 1
Pochettino full of praise for Messi after PSG winning debut
Lionel Messi made his much-anticipated Ligue 1 debut for PSG on Sunday but it was Mbappe who shone as the capital club maintained their perfect start to the season.
Lionel Messi made his much-anticipated Ligue 1 debut for Paris St Germain on Sunday but it was Kylian Mbappe who shone as the capital club maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory at Stade de Reims.
Messi started to warm up after 57 minutes, drawing applause from the Reims supporters, whom he saluted.
They sang his name just when he was about to come on, shortly after Mbappe had doubled PSG's advantage from Achraf Hakimi's cross at the end of a sharp counter attack.
Mbappe combined with Messi, but the former Barcelona striker was not in the same condition as the Frenchman, having not played a competitive game since winning the Copa America with Argentina on July 10. The former Barcelona captain later drew praise from PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino.