Nutmegs and Lionel Messi, a more than a decade-old romance which refuses to dwindle has now a new chapter in its book. Just last night, when Barcelona were getting humiliated at the Park de Princes by Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine magician was outdone by a moment of magic from Adrien Rabiot.
In the 62nd minute of the match, when the hosts were already romping on their way to a 4-0 victory, the French midfielder and the Barcelona forward were contesting for a loose ball. With both of them running towards the ball, Rabiot pulled out a rabbit from the hat as he played a no-look pass to Matuidi through Messi’s leg.
As if the 3-0 deficit at that time was not enough that the midfielder decided to rub salt in Messi’s wound. The 29-year-old’s performance in the match was fairly below the level of expectations everyone expects from him. For someone who was expected to define the outcome of the match, a rating of 4.5/10 in Sportskeeda’s player ratings is subpar, to say the least.
On the other hand, the 21-year-old French midfielder gave a belter of a performance and was the driving force behind majority of PSG’s attacks. Along with Marco Veratti and Angel di Maria, he was one of the best players on the pitch which ensured their side humiliate Barcelona and gain a healthy advantage going into the second leg of the tie. While Di Maria scored a brace – a sumptuous free-kick in the first half and team’s third goal – Draxler and Cavani were on the scoresheet as well.
The Catalan giants will have to register the biggest comeback in Champions League knockout history to qualify for the next round come March 9 at the Camp Nou.
