Lionel Messi put up a strong performance to help Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to a win against Toulouse on Wednesday (August 31), and fans were pleased with the efforts on display.
Fans were particularly delighted with the Argentine playmaker, whose selflessness provided goals for Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe respectively.
Taking to Twitter to celebrate the forward, fans were quick to hail Lionel Messi’s quality on the ball and effortless chance creation.
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a rather scintillating run of form so far this season, scoring three goals and providing four assists in five league appearances for the Parisians. This has been a remarkable uptick since his presence in the final third last season, which saw the former Barcelona man struggle to find the net.
He scored only 11 goals in 34 games across competitions last term, providing 15 assists. He did end up with the second-highest number of assists in the PSG squad, but it seemed as though his goalscoring years were behind him.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as Messi has not struggled to score in recent games for the Parisians. His selflessness has also massively benefited the team’s style of play, with Mbappe and Neymar already hitting double digits in terms of combined goals.
Two assists from Lionel Messi guide PSG to win against Toulouse
It was Neymar who broke the deadlock for PSG late in the first half, with 37 minutes on the clock. While the visitors had been pushing continually to find the opening goal, the hosts’ defense held strong until the Brazilian’s opener.
It was Messi who provided the ingenious through-pass to Neymar, who slid it into the bottom corner. While it was chalked off for offside, a VAR check showed that the Brazilian was onside when the pass came from his former Barcelona teammate.
The Argentine maestro did go for the goal himself before the end of the first half, but his efforts were cut down by Toulouse goalkeeper Maxime Dupe. Just five minutes into the second half, however, Messi provided yet another assist, this time for Mbappe.
Lionel Messi powered down the left flank, drawing the opposing defenders too deep, before cutting back with a smart pass to find his teammate. Mbappe wasted no time trapping the ball, instead driving it into the goal with a first-time shot.
Juan Bernat also added his name to the scoresheet late on, after scoring from a Mbappe rebound that ricocheted off the post.
Here is a selection of tweets from the happy fans: