EVEN THE OPPOSITION RECOGNISES THE GOAT

After Lionel Messi’s bicycle kick for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday night, fans of Clermont stood up to cheer and scream his name.

PSG defeated Clermont 5-0 on the road to earn their first victory of the new Ligue 1 campaign.

In just nine minutes, Neymar scored the game’s first goal. Before the half, Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi added to PSG’s advantage.

Then, in the final moments of the second half, Messi scored twice, the best of which was an exquisite overhead kick that even brought the supporters of the other team to their feet.

‘What a goal by Messi’, said a tweet from Clermont’s official account describing the atmosphere in the stadium.

When asked about Messi following his team’s victory, PSG head coach Christophe Galtier said: “I spoke with Leo during our stay in Japan and with the defensive sector as well to ensure that he can perform well all the time.”

‘He has a very sharp, very clear tactical sense. He quickly sees where he has to put himself, the way he positions himself to play, he is in an area he likes. He likes to play with the players around him. When Leo smiles, the team smiles too.