Twitter explodes as magical Lionel Messi spearheads PSG to 3-1 comeback win against Maccabi Haifa

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) secured a 3-1 comeback victory over a brave Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on September 14, courtesy of Lionel Messi's brilliance.

Fans have lauded the superstar's performance on Twitter on a record-setting night where he became the first player to score against 39 different teams in the competition.

It was an open encounter from the get-go at the Sammy Ofer Stadium. Kylian Mbappe went close on two occasions early on.

Maccabi forwards Frantdzy Pierrot and Tjarron Chery were a nuisance for the Paris defense throughout the game.

It was Chery who broke the deadlock in the 24th minute. The Suriname international met winger Dolev Haziza's fantastic cross to fire the Israeli side ahead.

The front three of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar were kept relatively quiet up until the 36th minute.

A pinball-like situation in the Maccabi box saw the ball fall to Lionel Messi, who calmly placed home a vital equalizer to spare PSG's blushes.

Maccabi had their fair share of changes at the start of the second half. Teams may be taking notice of Chery as he stood out throughout the clash.

Messi went close on two occasions before turning provider for Mbappe in the 69th minute.

The Argentine's sublime pass played in the French forward, who slotted past goalkeeper Josh Cohen.

Neymar then rounded off the win for PSG in the 88th minute. Marco Verratti provided the assist.

The diminutive Argentine ended the game with seven shots, 91% passing accuracy, two key passes and six successful ground duels'

The Israeli outfit performed admirably on the night and if it wasn't for Messi's magic, they may have got something out of the game.

Here are some reactions from fans on Twitter to another Messi masterclass in the Champions League:

Lionel Messi hasn't won the Champions League since 2015 when his Barcelona side beat Juventus in the final.

It is astounding to have to go that far back for the last time the iconic Argentine lifted Europe's elite club trophy.

The legendary forward has been, for many, the greatest player of all time and it would be fitting to see him win the European title once again.

This time, however, it would be in PSG colors. This would gift the Ligue 1 giants their first ever Champions League glory.

Galtier needs to deal with the issues within the side as there are still moments of nervousness at the back.

But PSG will be in among the favorites if the front three continue firing and Messi continues his current mesmerizing form.

The Argentinian now has five goals and eight assists in 10 appearances in all competitions.

He dug the Parisians out of a hole with his man-of-the-match performance in tonight's game.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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