Messi, the ‘God of Soccer’, scored against 39 clubs for the first time in Champions League history

Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi (left) traps the ball with his chest following jumping during the UEFA Champions League Group H match at the Sami Oper Stadium in Haifa, Israel on the morning of the 15th (Korean time). AP News

PSG beat Haifa 3-1 from behind
Messi, 1 goal and 1 assist
’38 club goals’ beats Ronaldo

Manchester City beat Dortmund 2-1

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG, France) Lionel Messi scored once morest 39 clubs for the first time in history in the UEFA Champions League. PSG’s pride triangle, Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar scored one goal each in the Champions League for the first time.

PSG defeated Maccabi Haifa (Israel) 3-1 in the second leg of the Champions League Group H group stage held at the Sami Oper Stadium in Haifa, Israel on the morning of the 15th (Korean time). Messi scored one point and one assist, while Mbappe and Neymar scored one goal each to lead the comeback victory. PSG (5 goals) recorded two wins alongside Benfica (Portugal, 4 goals), but took the top spot in the group by one goal ahead in the number of goals scored.

According to statistics company Opta, Messi shook the net once morest 39 clubs for 19 seasons, including the 2004-2005 season when he made his Champions League debut. Messi took the top spot in this category, beating out Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), who scored for 38 clubs. Messi has scored 126 goals in the Champions League, second only to Ronaldo, who scored 140 goals.

Messi paved the way for a comeback victory. Messi scored the equalizer in the 37th minute following a 0-1 lead. Mbappe’s cross from the left side of the box hit the defender’s foot and flowed out, and Messi, who was in front of the door, quickly pushed it in with his left foot. Messi also assisted Mbappe’s winning goal in the 24th minute of the second half, which was 1-1. Messi in midfield passed a penetration pass with his left foot, and Mbappe shook the right goal with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box. PSG, who gained momentum, took a 2-1 lead in the 43rd minute of the second half, and Neymar’s extra goal gave the game a boost. According to Opta, this is the first time Messi, Mbappe and Neymar have all scored in one Champions League match.

Meanwhile, Manchester City (England) beat Dortmund (Germany) at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England 2-1 in Group G Group G second leg. Elling Halan and John Stones scored one goal each to help the comeback win. Halan drew attention, especially when he scored the winning goal once morest Dortmund, who he was a member of from January 2020 to July.

According to Opta, at 22 years and 55 days, Halan became the youngest player in Champions League history to score once morest his former team. The previous record was Alvaro Morata (Atlético Madrid), who scored for Real Madrid (Spain) while wearing a Juventus (Italy) jersey at the age of 22 and 194.

Reporter Heo Jong-ho [e-mail]