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Lionel Messi marked his return to Paris Saint-Germain by scoring in his first match since winning the World Cup. The 35-year-old only resumed training recently, after taking some time off following the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Despite the break, he showed no signs of sluggishness as he scored a close-range goal in PSG’s 2-0 win over Angers. Before the match, Messi and his teammates honoured Brazilian soccer legend Pelé by wearing t-shirts bearing his image.
Currently, PSG holds the top spot in the league, despite coach Christophe Galtier having to shuffle his team to account for players returning from the World Cup. Among these is Kylian Mbappé, who was the runner-up in Qatar and rested for Wednesday’s match. Instead, young player Hugo Ekitiké was given game time and the forward scored the opening goal.
Messi, who played alongside Neymar Jr., scored the second goal in the 72nd minute after a well-timed run and skilful right-foot finish. Initially, an offside flag was raised, but the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) overruled this, and the goal was confirmed.
The victory marks a positive turn for PSG, who just experienced their first league loss of the season against Lens. Galtier stated in an interview with PSGTV that Angers were a strong team and the match was challenging, but he was pleased to see his team coming back together after the World Cup. PSG’s next match will be against Rennes on Sunday.
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