Messi scores as PSG draw 1-1 at Benfica; Haaland shines for City

Lisbon: Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Benfica in their Champions League game yesterday despite another well-struck goal from Lionel Messi.

Benfica started with an intense and high press that unsettled PSG in the early stages, until Messi broke the deadlock against the run of the play with his 127th goal in Europe's top competition.

The goal came after a move involving the entire "MNM” attacking trio as Messi combined with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar before curling in a first-time shot with his left foot.

Benfica levelled before halftime thanks to an own goal from Danilo Pereira.

PSG and Benfica both won their opening two matches in Group H and have seven points. Juventus is in third place, four points off the pace, ahead of last-place Maccabi Haifa with zero.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland took his goal tally to an incredible 19 in all competitions this season with another double in Manchester City’s 5-0 demolition of FC Copenhagen in Group G.

Haaland wasted no time in getting City going with yet another strike in his remarkable campaign, sweeping home an early opener, before putting the game beyond the Danish side inside 32 minutes.

City kept coming and added a third six minutes before the break as David Khocholava put through his own net, with Haaland lurking just behind in the hunt for his second treble in four days.

There was to be no hat-trick for Haaland as he was withdrawn at halftime, but the goals kept coming as Riyad Mahrez slotted home a penalty before Julian Alvarez finished things off with a late fifth.

The most comfortable of victories ensured City have taken a maximum nine points in the group and need two more to be sure of a spot in knockout stages. Copenhagen are bottom on one point form three games.

Elsewhere, in London, goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James earned Chelsea a thumping 3-0 victory over AC Milan, boosting their chances of qualifying from Group E with their first Champions League win of the season.

Defender Fofana calmed a nervous start for the home side when he angled a shot past goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu in the 24th minute after a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

Aubameyang took advantage of an often loose Milan defence when he clipped the ball into the net from close range in the 56th minute after being fed by a pinpoint cross by James. Six minutes later the lively England winger got on the scoresheet himself, controlling a pass from Raheem Sterling and sending a right-foot bullet into the top of the net to the delight of manager Graham Potter.

Elsewhere, Brazilians Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scored in the first half as Real Madrid eased past Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in Group F.

The holders dominated the match from the start and Rodrygo gave them the lead in the 13th minute with an angled strike from the edge of the box.

Vinicius extended Real's lead 15 minutes later with a close-range strike after beating the offside trap.

Oleksandr Zubkov reduced the deficit for the Ukrainian side following a counter-attack five minutes from the break with a magnificent acrobatic volley from a Mykhailichenko cross.

Meanwhile, Juventus got their first points after Angel Di Maria got a hat-trick of assists in a 3-1 home win against Maccabi Haifa in Group H.

Juve took the lead after 35 minutes when Di Maria played a perfectly timed pass to Adrien Rabiot, who finished high into the net, with the goal seeming to come as a relief to coach Massimiliano Allegri along with the fans in the stadium.

Di Maria then fed an unmarked Dusan Vlahovic from midfield in the 50th minute, and the Serbian doubled the lead when he calmly beat keeper Joshua Cohen.

Haifa reduced the deficit in the 75th minute when substitute Din David managed to round Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny and put the ball in the open net after a through-ball from Tjaronn Chery.

Juve put the game to bed, however, when Di Maria's corner was met by Rabiot, whose header in the 83rd minute went into the corner of the net.

Results
Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 Dinamo Zagreb
RB Leipzig 3-1 Celtic
Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan
Real Madrid 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City 5-0 Copenhagen
Sevilla 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
Benfica 1-1 Paris Saint Germain
Juventus 3-1 Maccabi Haifa