Lionel Messi failed to provide Paris St Germain with any sparkle as the Ligue 1 team's potent attacking trio lacked inspiration in a disappointing 1-1 draw at Club Brugge in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
In his debut with the French team, the Argentine forward managed to surpass him, but he was far from his brilliant best next to the disappointing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who set up Ander Herrera for PSG's first-half opener before being replaced injured after the break.
Brugge, who levelled before halftime through Hans Vanaken, were more powerful and had the best chances against a PSG that lacks quality and defensive focus.
The result left Paris Saint-Germain and Bruges two points behind Group A leaders Manchester City after the Premier League champions crushed RB Leipzig 6-3.
"We didn't play a fantastic game but to be fair we did enough to win, we deserved to win," said Herrera.
"Maybe they had opportunities at the beginning of the second half but I think we controlled the match, we had a lot of chances."
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Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet disagreed.
"I didn't have a lot of work, I just pulled a couple of saves. We played as a compact side, it was the right approach," the Belgian said.
With Messi, Neymar and Mbappe together on the pitch for the first time, PSG made a confident start but Brugge responded well.
FULL-TIME: Club Brugge 1-1 @PSG_English
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 15, 2021
The points are shared on Matchday 1 of the @ChampionsLeague. #UCL | #CLUPSG pic.twitter.com/P3EVbjqQxP
Mbappe broke the left flank and his low cross was met by Herrera, and opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a low shot to score his fourth goal this season-his third goal in the last two games.
Messi set up Mbappe, who went close in the 23rd minute with an angled shot that was deflected by Mignolet but PSG were lulled into a false sense of security.
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