Paris Saint-Germain enthralled Parc des Princes on Tuesday with a 4-1 win over Club Brugge to wrap up their Champions League group stage campaign.
Despite having nothing on the line, PSG ran rampant at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, thrashing Club Brugge 4-1, with both Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi bagging braces to cap off their Champions League group stages in style.
The hosts wasted no time and took just 70 seconds to break the deadlock, with Mbappe combined nicely with Nuno Mendes down the left flank before clinically putting the Portuguese’s deflected cross into the bottom corner past Simon Mignolet. The Frenchman added another five minutes later to make it 2-0, volleying in Angel Di Maria’s perfectly-weighted lofted pass to basically seal the result inside seven minutes of blistering start from the home side.
The visitors created a couple of openings of their own. Still, they fell down 3-0 before half-time when Mbappe found Messi, who curled a superb signature strike from outside the box to put the visitors out of sight before the break. Philippe Clement’s side enjoyed a resurgence after the interval and were rewarded for their increased intensity and ingenuity. With little over 20 minutes remaining, Noa Lang drove towards the Parisian goal before slipping in Mats Rits to neatly sneak past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
FULL-TIME: @PSG_English 4-1 Club Brugge
A double from @KMbappe + Messi means we end the @ChampionsLeague group stage in fine style! #PSGCLU
?? #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/ozo5ER03g0
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 7, 2021
However, PSG quickly seized control of the game and were given a penalty after Messi was tripped in the box by Ignace van der Brempt. The Argentine stepped up and scored his second goal of the night from 12 yards out.
With PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino under the cosh over his style of play of late, the victory comes just at the right time. The Hard Tackle will now the rule over Pochettino’s men and rate their performances after a rather comfortable 4-1 win at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: 7/10
The Italian was a solid presence in goal and looked confident at all times while making a few really sharp saves and punches. He would be disappointed not to preserve a clean sheet to back up his display.
Achraf Hakimi: 5/10
As always, Hakimi was very adventurous from the start. He was confident with his marauding runs up the right flank but could not create anything significant and the inactive defending means he left his fellow defenders exposed at times. However, considering PSG’s domination, he did not have to do much in his favour.
Marquinhos: 7/10
Apart from a few shaky moments during Club Brugge’s quick interchanges, the PSG skipper was defensively solid and was composed on the ball. He did well to cover the space Hakimi left on the right flank. The Brazilian was impressive in PSG’s buildup play, but he did not have to work too hard in this game, and he seemed comfortable relaxing off when his team took a massive lead.
Abdou Diallo: 8/10
Diallo was quick and alert throughout the 90 on a rare start in a Champions League game. Despite putting on a great defensive shift, making 2 tackles, 4 interceptions, 8 clearances, 6 ball recoveries and a block, there were several sloppy mistakes as he lost track of his marker which resulted in a clear shot on goal. These lapses in concentration could cost PSG big-time, which is why he would not be a first-choice starter in the knockout stages.
Nuno Mendes: 6/10
The youngster got off to a roaring start, making several great forward runs and hitting the target in the second minute, forcing a save after which Kylian Mbappe scored. After that, he was a little shaky and allowed too much room for the Club Brugge attacker on his side. Unfortunately, he was forced off early in the second half through an injury.
Georginio Wijnaldum: 6.5/10
Although he made several well-timed runs into the penalty area and behind the Brugge backline, Wijnaldum appeared to be mostly off the tempo in his overall game. He showed a decent work ethic throughout the 90-minute contest but failed to put away his big scoring chances.
Marco Verratti: 8/10
A classic Verratti performance, as he was PSG’s Rolls Royce and a creative lynchpin in possession while he was destructive enough to take the bite off the game. He ran the show and bossed things around him, skillfully distributing the ball and creating space for teammates while winning key defensive duels. He demonstrated his exceptional game reading by keeping the game ticking along with smooth and progressive passes.
Idrissa Gueye: 7/10
Gueye provided an energetic presence in midfield and put in a tenacious shift, covering lots of ground and winning key ground duels to help PSG retain their dominance throughout. He was a suffocating presence for the Club Brugge midfielders while being proactive in helping to move the ball forward quickly. He attempted a magnificent acrobatic effort, but it went over.
Angel Di Maria: 8/10
Di Maria looked lively, creative and threatening all game, displaying superb passing abilities with two key passes, most notably for a stunning assist for Mbappe’s second. Di Maria posed a persistent threat to Brugge’s defence with his dribbling and crossing ability. He got in a 1v1 situation with Simon Mignolet in the 11th minute but was unable to get his chipped shot over him. Almost tapped in a goal in 65th, but his shot went wide.
Lionel Messi: 9/10
Lionel Messi vs Club Brugge:
90 minutes played
2 goals
3 shots on target
2 succ dribbles
87 touches
65 acc. passes
89% pass rate
4 key passes
3 succ long balls
2 big chances created
4 ground duels wonLevel with Pele on career goals.#Messi pic.twitter.com/SnfIl0xuC8
— Stats Prince (@StatsPrince) December 7, 2021
Messi’s charisma was on show from the start, as he appeared keen to lift the mood of the spectators. In the 32nd minute, he slid into the area, but his effort was stopped sharply. He danced past several players before attempting a nice shot in the 35th minute, only to have it stopped again. Three minutes later, his efforts were rewarded as he wonderfully curled the ball into the net in his trademark style.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner floated around enigmatically throughout, knitting movements together, buzzing around in possession, and simply being Messi at full swing; he soon added a second from the penalty spot to seal the game. Goals aside, he looked threatening every time he had the ball, causing all sorts of problems for the Brugge defence by directly running at them.
Kylian Mbappe: 9/10
Mbappe got things underway in a blistering fashion with a crisp finish past Mignolet in the 2nd minute. And then, in the seventh minute, he finished off Di Maria’s clipped ball with a brilliantly taken volley. He set up a good chance for Messi with a wonderful flick while also helping in Messi’s strike by making a dummy run to carve out the space to take the shot leading to the goal.
Kylian Mbappe vs Club Brugge
2 Goals
1 Assist
5/6 Successful Dribbles (Most)
2 Fouls Won (Most)
7 Duels Won (Most)
4 Chances Created
3 Shots on TargetHe breaks Lionel Messi’s record and becomes the youngest player to score 30 #UCL goals.#Championsleague #PSG pic.twitter.com/Os7cw4j0As
— Football Stats (@FtblStats) December 7, 2021
Perhaps, he should have sealed a first-half hattrick in the 44th, but he smacked his attempt over the bar from close range. The French sensation was at his devastating best and was a nightmare to face for defenders all game long with his clinical finishing and efficient movements in the final third.
SUBSTITUES
Thilo Kehrer: 4/10
Kehrer was booked for being overly aggressive in his second-half cameo and did not look like an upgrade over Mendes defensively or offensively as he struggled to get into the grips of the game.
Leandro Paredes: 5/10
Paredes assisted in keeping his backline out of trouble and effectively shielded the back-four towards the end.
Ander Herrera: 6/10
After coming in, Herrera injected a lot of energy into PSG’s midfield, allowing them to control late possession.
Mauro Icardi: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Eric-Junior Dina Ebimbe: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
