Pep Guardiola salutes ‘unstoppable’ Lionel Messi after Champions League loss

Posted Wednesday, September 29, 2021 by PA

Pep Guardiola admitted it would have been impossible to control Lionel Messi for the full game after the Argentinian helped sink Manchester City in the Champions League.

The six-time world player of the year scored his first Paris St Germain goal as the French side avenged their loss in last season’s semi-finals with a 2-0 group stage victory on Tuesday.

Messi had been doubtful ahead of the game but proved his fitness with a stunning goal after 74 minutes of a compelling clash at the Parc des Princes, adding to Idrissa Gana Gueye’s early strike.

1⃣2⃣1⃣ #UCL goals for Leo Messi 🔥#PSGMCI pic.twitter.com/6IfHZblcQB
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 28, 2021

City boss Guardiola is well aware of the damage Messi can do to teams after the pair’s successes together for Barcelona, which included two Champions League wins.

Guardiola said: “We dealt with PSG first of all but we know it’s impossible to control Leo during 90 minutes.

“He was not much in touch with the ball – of course he was coming back from injury, he needed a bit of rhythm – but we know quite well when he can run and get close to the ball he is unstoppable.

“What we have done is minimise, as much as possible, these kind of options and create the chances that we could create and I’m satisfied with the way we played.

“People can’t deny that we were there. We arrived here, we did our game, but it’s always a risk when you lose the ball and they can make one pass, especially with (Marco) Verratti, an exceptional, extraordinary player, and make contact with Neymar and Messi and they can run, it’s difficult.