On Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain beat Club Bruges 4-1 to finish first in the Champions League group stages.
The win was mainly ceremonial, thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. Following their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on November 24, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will go to the knockout stages of the competition as runners-up in Group A.
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Despite the low stakes, Pochettino fielded a solid team that included Mbappé to Messi’s left and Angel Di Maria to Messi’s right. When Neymar was a member of PSG’s so-called Fantastic Four, Bruges memorably had the better of the game in September in Belgium.
The match finished in a 1-1 draw, prompting a barrage of criticism of PSG’s lack of balance.
Progress
Three months on and qualification to the last 16 assured, there was a relaxed relentlessness about PSG.
Their third goal illustrated as much.
Mbappé picked up the ball in his own half and simply pushed it past a defender. The France international galloped to collect it – leaving a flapping trio in is wake – and swung a pass over to an unattended Messi in the centre.
A familiar vignette ensued. Messi surged forward as defenders back-pedalled. The 34-year-old feinted to the right but the ball was suddenly on his left foot and arrowing into the right hand side of Simon Mignolet’s net.
Sumptuous. A signature strike to warm the hearts of the faithful on a rain lashed night at the Parc des Princes. 3-0 after 38 minutes and game effectively over.
Unsurprisingly, Bruges exhibited more mettle after the pause. Mats Rits finished off a sweeping counterattack to reduce the deficit after 68 minutes.
But the three-goal advantage was soon restored. Ignace Van Der Brempt felled Messi in the penalty area and the Argentine stepped up for the spot kick.
Last month Messi chipped the ball into the centre of the goal – a Panenka – as the Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi dived to his left.
Banking on a repeat, Mignolet did not move as Messi ran up. The ball whizzed into the net low to his left.
Messy business goalkeeping.
With RB Leipzig beating Manchester City 2-1, the Germans advanced to the Europa League. Bruges finish the campaign bottom of the pool with four points from their six games.
