Messi and PSG held by Brugge

Geneva, Sep 16 (AP): Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbapp and Neymar lined up together in the near-perfect attack for Paris Saint-Germain and still could not score or deliver a win in the Champions League.
Instead, it was low-key midfielder Ander Herrera who got PSG’s goal in a 1-1 draw at underrated Belgian champion Club Brugge.
Though Messi saw a first-half shot strike the crossbar, he was later shown a yellow card for a foul and Mbapp went off because of an injured left ankle. French forwards flourished elsewhere with S bastien Haller scoring four for Ajax in a 5-1 rout at Sporting Lisbon and Christopher Nkunku netting all of Leipzig’s goals in a 6-3 loss to Manchester City.
The English clubs in action combined for two wins in matches involving 14 goals as Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 in the Italians’ return to the competition after a seven-season gap.
There was just one goal in the games involving the Madrid clubs, and Rodrygo’s 89th-minute strike won it for Real Madrid at Inter Milan. Atl tico Madrid was held 0-0 at home to Porto.
Debutant Sheriff Tiraspol from the Moldovan league won 2-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk from neighboring Ukraine. Three-time European champion Messi was added to PSG’s already stellar squad last month to drive the Qatar-owned club’s quest to win soccer’s most coveted club prize.
The Jan Breydel Stadium in Belgium was a modest venue for the Messi-Mbapp -Neymar forward line to be unveiled for the first time. They lasted just 50 minutes together, though Mbapp did create Herrera’s opening goal from a sharp first-time shot in the 15th minute. Club Brugge rose to the moment and captain Hans Vanaken leveled in the 27th.
City leads Group A after beating Leipzig 6-3 with six different scorers including record signing Jack Grealish. Leipzig defender Angeli o was sent off on his return to his former club.
PSG hosts City on Sept. 28 in a rematch of last season’s semifinals. The English champion advanced after winning the first leg 2-1 in Paris.