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Fabio Capello has provided a grim assessment of Lionel Messi after PSG's narrow win over Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Tuesday night.
Despite Messi's miss from the spot, the Parisians secured a late 1-0 victory at home, courtesy of a 94th-minute strike from Kylian Mbappe. They'll now take a slender advantage into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month.
While Mauricio Pochettino's side were dominant for much of the game, a breakthrough proved difficult to come by. Messi had the chance to break the deadlock from the spot around the hour mark. However, his feeble attempt was saved by Thibaut Courtois, who guessed the right way, diving low to his left.
It summed up a poor night for the Argentine ace, who's enduring a tough run in Paris since his stunning move last summer. Capello, though, refuses to believe Messi is past his best, but admitted that the 34-year-old didn't shine last night. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, he said:
“It’s impossible to think that Messi has lost himself in six months. However, he didn’t even complete one dribbling, and to me he is sad.”
Messi managed eight shots in the game, but three of them were blocked, while another three were way off target. The penalty miss could've left the game in the balance, but Mbappe saved him the blushes with a fine goal at the death.
Messi, who has struck 26 goals against Los Blancos, hasn't had much luck against them recently. Since the 2018-19 season, he has failed to score or assist in eight games against Los Blancos, including last night.
Fabio Capello hails PSG midfielder Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti was among the best performers on the night, with the Italian pulling the strings for the home side against Real Madrid. He registered a 92% pass completion rate, and laid six key passes. The Euro 2020 winner also helped break Madrid's play with excellent ball recoveries.
Capello feels the PSG midfielder would've won the Man of the Match award if it wasn't for Mbappe's late winner. He said:
"Verratti would have been the Man of the Match without Mbappe, who was the absolute MVP. Verratti played a great game dominating in midfield.”
Real Madrid host PSG for the second leg in the Spanish capital on March 9.
