Lionel Messi set a new Champions League scoring record after helping Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 win at Maccabi Haifa in Group H on Wednesday night.
The Israeli side took a shock lead in the 24th minute through Tjaronn Chery before Messi drew PSG level on 37 minutes.
Messi’s goal means he has become the first player to find the net against 39 different teams in UEFA Champions League, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo who is on 38.
It was the first time that Messi had scored a goal against a club from Israel. That meant that he has now scored against at least one club from all 19 different nations he has faced in the Champions League across his career.
Messi’s strike in Israel also meant that it was the 18th successive season in which he had found the net in the Champions League – another competition record.
His first goal in the competition came in the 2005/06 campaign for Barcelona against Greek team Panathinaikos.
And after equalizing got his side Messi then turned provider after setting up Kylian Mpabbe to make it 2-1 on 69 minutes.
And with two minutes left Neymar added the third goal to seal the win for the Ligue 1 champions.
In the group’s other game Juventus’ poor run continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Benfica.
Arkadiusz Milik gave Juventus the lead on four minutes but with two minutes left in the first half Benfica equalized thanks to Joao Mario from the penalty spot.
And in the 55th minute David Neres netted the winner to inflict Juventus’ second loss in the group.
While PSG and Benfica – both on six points – are first and second respectively, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa are yet to register a point.
At Stamford Bridge it was not the best of starts for new manager Graham Potter as Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg in Group E.
Chelsea remains winless in this season’s Champions League after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Salzburg in Graham Potter’s first game as head coach. The Blues slumped to a shock 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in their Group E opener last week, with that proving to be Thomas Tuchel’s final match in charge.
Potter’s tenure looked like getting off to a winning start against Salzburg when Raheem Sterling opened the scoring in the 48th minute from Chelsea’s first shot on target before Noah Okafor made it 1-1 with 15 minutes left. But Salzburg, who also held Milan last week and are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions, hit back through Noah Okafor in the 75th minute to leave Potter and his players frustrated.
At the Etihad Manchester City came from a goal down to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 with summer signing Erling Haaland coming back to haunt his former club with a stunning acrobatic winner as Manchester City came from behind to earn a hard-fought 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland, who averaged over a goal per game in the Champions League during two years at Dortmund, met Joao Cancelo’s fine cross with a sensational backheeled volley to seal the hosts’ victory in the 84th minute.
Sule’s excellent defensive header denied Haaland a tap-in as City failed to make their dominance count early on, with the disciplined visitors preventing their hosts from managing a shot on target before the break.
Marco Reus almost bent an effort into the top-right corner as Dortmund grew in confidence, and the winger provided the assist for their 56th-minute opener, volleying in a cross for Bellingham to guide a header beyond Ederson.
Haaland hit the foot of the post with a right-footed shot following a rare defensive lapse from Dortmund and Kevin De Bruyne failed to reach Cancelo’s cross as City looked destined for defeat.
Stones leveled out of nowhere with 10 minutes remaining, though, his well-hit 20-yard strike whistling past Meyer, who will probably think he could have done better to stop the effort.
The city had appeared set for a surprise defeat when Jude Bellingham nodded Dortmund ahead after the break, only for John Stones’ long-range effort to beat Alexander Meyer for the leveler.
And in other results, Victor Osimhen’s Napoli thrashed Rangers 3-0 at Ibrox, champions Real Madrid beat Leipzig 2-0 at the Bernabeu, and Sevilla held Copenhagen to a goalless draw in Denmark.
