In his first game for Paris Saint-Germain since helping Argentina win the World Cup, Lionel Messi scored in a 2-0 win against Angers in Ligue 1 on Wednesday.
The victory saw PSG go six points clear at the top of the French standings, three and a half weeks after he led Argentina to their World Cup final victory over France in Qatar on penalties.
Following the lengthy season break brought on by the World Cup, Messi was benched for PSG’s first three games. However, after returning to Parisian training a week ago, he was reinstated in the starting lineup for this match against Ligue 1’s bottom team. Kylian Mbappe was rested for the second straight game, but Neymar started after missing his team’s previous two games.
Due to this, Hugo Ekitike, a youthful striker, led the home team’s attack at Parc des Princes once more, and he scored the game’s first goal in the fifth minute off a pass from Nordi Mukiele that also included Messi. With 17 minutes remaining, Messi stroked in his 13th club goal of the season to double the lead despite PSG not playing at their best.
As second-placed Lens were held to a 2-2 draw away at Strasbourg, Christophe Galtier’s squad widened their lead at the top of the standings.
