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Having already secured Round of 16 football, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosted Club Brugge in their final UEFA Champions League group A fixture on Tuesday night.
Despite playing an inconsequential match, Mauricio Pochettino fielded his strongest XI against Club Brugge, featuring the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. The intention was clear from the start - PSG were looking to put on a show at the Parc des Princes.
The party began just two minutes into the game, courtesy of Kylian Mbappe’s knack for being in the right place at the right time. The Frenchman pounced on Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet’s mistake to get PSG up and running.
Mbappe doubled his tally just five minutes later, dispatching a venomous volley from Angel Di Maria’s lofted ball into the box. In the 37th minute, Mbappe turned provider, feeding the ball to Lionel Messi, allowing him to curl the ball home from outside the box.
Having been battered in the first half, Brugge started the second half strongly, creating a few decent opportunities. Their effort finally paid off in the 68th minute when Mats Rits converted convincingly from close range.
Finally, in the 75th minute, Lionel Messi added another to his tally, converting expertly from the penalty spot.
PSG’s 4-1 win over Club Brugge saw a host of convincing performances. Here are the top five that caught our attention:
#5 Abdou Diallo
Coming in for Presnel Kimpembe, PSG centre-back Abdou Diallo enjoyed an impressive outing against Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
The Senegal international was calm and composed at the back and communicated well with his captain Marquinhos.
Diallo’s distribution was impressive and he cut out passing lanes as well as he could have. Against Brugge, the 25-year-old completed eight clearances, attempted two tackles and intercepted four passes.
He also provided an inch-perfect long-ball to Gini Wijnaldum in the first half, but the former Liverpool man failed to apply the finishing touch.
#4 Gianluigi Donnarumma
Mauricio Pochettino picked Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of Keylor Navas to guard the goal in PSG’s final Champions League Group A fixture.
Judging by the gulf in quality between the two teams, Donnarumma was expected to have a comfortable night. Unfortunately for the Italian shot-stopper, Brugge had other ideas.
Despite being three goals down, Brugge came at PSG with everything they had in the second 45. Donnarumma fought bravely and made a total of five saves.
Yes, he was beaten by Rits in the 68th minute, but the former Milan man could not do much about it.
#3 Angel Di Maria
With Neymar ruled out with an injury, PSG started with Angel Di Maria on the right-wing. The Argentine put on a confident show and contributed directly to PSG’s convincing win over Club Brugge.
The former Real Madrid man had a free role against Brugge and was regularly slotting into little pockets of space.
The 33-year-old’s finest moment of the match came in the seventh minute when he dinked the ball over the Brugge defense and into Mbappe’s path. The Frenchman volleyed the ball first time for his second goal of the night.
Apart from the assist, Di Maria created two big chances and made two key passes.
#2 Lionel Messi
PSG’s first Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi spent the first 10 minutes reading the tempo of the game. He barely touched the ball during the opening quarter, but started imposing himself as the match wore on.
Messi roamed in and around the opposition box and was linking effortlessly with Mbappe and Di Maria. In the 37th minute, the former Barcelona superstar produced a moment of sheer genius, showing once again why he is the best in the world.
Picking up the ball from Mbappe, Messi cut in from the right, positioned himself, and dispatched a left-footed curler. The ball inevitably hit the back of the net, giving Mignolet no chance.
In the 75th minute, Messi won himself a penalty and hammered it into the bottom-right corner, leaving the keeper rooted to the spot.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
PSG number 7 Kylian Mbappe was firing on all cylinders against Club Brugge on Tuesday night. He used his positional sense, pace, and passing range to perfection to keep Club Brugge guessing all night long.
The Frenchman, who bagged an assist in the reverse fixture, got on the score sheet after just a couple of minutes of play.
Nuno Mendes whipped the ball in towards Mignolet’s goal from the left wing, forcing the former Liverpool stopper to parry it away. Unfortunately, the clearance fell straight to Mbappe, who made no mistake hitting the back of the net.
Five minutes later Mbappe added another to PSG's tally, this time through a sweetly-struck volley. Di Maria’s lofted ball into the box was exquisite and Mbappe did complete justice to the Argentine’s delivery.
Having bagged a brace, Mbappe demonstrated his pace down the left flank to leave Jack Hendry in the dust in the 37th minute. The Frenchman then found Messi in space and cleverly laid the ball in Messi's path. The former Barcelona man then put his foot through, scoring PSG's third goal of the night.
