Champions League: Mbappe, Messi, Neymar rescue PSG after Maccabi early shock

After Maccabi midfielder Tjaronn Chery volleyed in a cross in the 24th minute, Messi gave a sloppy PSG side a much-needed equalizer from Mbappe’s cross from the right in the 37th.

“We fell asleep a bit and conceded the first goal. Then we were able to make the difference after that,” Mbappe said. “I hope all three of us continue to score because it means we’ll win games.”

Messi’s exquisitely weighted pass then sent Mbappe running down the left in the 69th, and he clipped the ball into the bottom right corner for his third goal in two group games.

PSG’s players Neymar, left, and Kylian Mbappe, celebrate after Mbappe scores the second goal during the group H Champions League soccer match between Maccabi Haifa and Paris Saint-Germain in Haifa, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Neymar latched onto Marco Verratti’s lofted pass from midfield in the 88th, controlled the ball on his right thigh and drilled it in to end a barren run in the Champions League dating back to December 2020.

PSG tops Group H with six points along with Benfica, which won 2-1 at Juventus in the other game.

But this was a disjointed PSG performance at times against a Maccabi side inspired by the silky Chery.

“We need to work hard and we need to improve quickly in the way we play,” Mbappe told broadcaster Canal Plus.

Wearing the No. 10 jersey — but far less illustrious than PSG’s No. 10, Neymar — Chery went close to making it 2-0 on the stroke of halftime.

With some brilliant improvisation that Neymar would have been proud of, Chery juggled the ball three times and then hit a fizzing 25-meter shot that PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma palmed away low down.

Mbappe missed a chance early on when he tried and failed to round Maccabi’s goalkeeper Joshua Cohen. Donnarumma then made a low save before the home side struck first.

PSG’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the group H Champions League soccer match between Maccabi Haifa and Paris Saint-Germain in Haifa, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

When PSG carelessly lost the ball in midfield yet again — 39 times in the first 30 minutes — Maccabi moved it quickly to the right. Dolev Haziza whipped in a cross that Chery expertly volleyed in with his left foot from close range past a stranded Donnarumma.

As in previous seasons, PSG’S team spirit was lacking and none of the stars responded until Mbappe burst down the left and clipped a deflected pass inside for Messi to guide the ball home in the 37th.

But Maccabi cut through PSG’s weak midfield soon after the break and had two half-chances. Neymar seemed to lose patience with his teammates, chatting at length with Verratti and Marquinhos, but PSG’s attack made the difference again.

Mbappe netted with two sharp volleys in PSG’s 2-1 win against Juventus last week, while Maccabi opened the group stage with a 2-0 defeat at Benfica.

Copenhagen and Sevilla stayed winless

Both teams are in the bottom half of Group G with a point each. Manchester City leads the group with six points after a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, which has three points.

Sevilla had most of the attempts on goal against Copenhagen but failed to capitalize on its chances.

“We had many chances, especially in the first half, and in the Champions League, in football generally, it’s difficult if you lack that finishing touch,” Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui said. “On the positive side, we’ve got our first clean sheet of the season. It’s a tough stadium with a powerful atmosphere.”

FC Copenhagen players defend a free kick during a Champions League group G soccer match between FC Copenhagen and Sevilla FC in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Sevilla lost to City 4-0 at home, while Copenhagen fell 3-0 at Dortmund, in the group openers.

“The team did a good job and now we have a double-header against Dortmund,” Lopetegui said. “There are 12 points to play for. The Dortmund games then the return (match against) Copenhagen and the other game against City. Evidently the double-header against Dortmund is going to be very important.”

Copenhagen, making its first group-stage appearance since the 2016-17 season, is tough to score against at home. It has not conceded in its last four home games in the competition’s group stage. It lost only once in its last 13 home matches in the group stage of the Champions League, winning six and drawing six. The loss was against Real Madrid, while Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus were among the visitors that couldn’t earn a win.

It was a special night for Sevilla midfielder Thomas Delaney, a fan favorite at Copenhagen before leaving to join Werder Bremen in Germany in 2017. The Denmark international was applauded by the home crowd when he was substituted in the second half.

Sevilla, which picked up its first win of the season at the weekend against Espanyol, has failed to score in its last five European games on the road, and is without a win in its last seven away matches in Europe, failing to score in the last five. It has won only one of its last 10 Champions League matches.

Last season, Sevilla won only once in the group stage, at home against Wolfsburg. It has won only two of its last 16 away games in all competitions this year.