Lionel Messi has given Paris St Germain fans what they came for, with his first goal for his new club in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City.
The Argentinian forward, who left Barcelona to join PSG on a two-year contract, found the top corner superbly in the second half to add to Idrissa Gueye's early first-half opener and put the capital club top of Group A on four points.
Messi, 34, had been quiet on his fourth appearance for PSG, until he netted on the counter, as his link-up play with France striker Kylian Mbappe bore fruit.
After two games, City are third on three points, a point behind PSG and Club Brugge, who won 2-1 at RB Leipzig.
After sitting two games out with a bruised knee, Messi started alongside Mbappe and Neymar, and for a long time, it seemed like the diminutive forward's role did not fit a team playing on the counterattack.
But he struck in the 74th minute, with his 121st goal in Europe's elite club competition, triggering deafening roars from the Parc des Princes crowd, who chanted his name long after he effectively wrapped up the win.
The Argentinian dribbled towards the box and slipped the ball to Mbappe, who flicked it back into his teammate's path for Messi to strike it into the top corner.
PSG missed chances in last season's 4-1 aggregate defeat to City in the semi-finals, but this time, they went for the kill early.
In the eighth minute, Mbappe was played into space and Neymar missed his cutback, but Gueye fired a rising shot into the far top corner, after a quick touch from Kyle Walker's weak clearance.
Meanwhile, Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win away over Real Madrid, snatching a shock victory, thanks to a sensational 89th-minute strike from Sebastien Thill.
In the 25th minute, competition debutants Sheriff went ahead against the 13-time European champions, with a header from Uzbek midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev, who narrowly missed a chance to double the visitors' lead later in the first half.
Real dominated the play in both halves, but needed a penalty to draw level. Karim Benzema buried his spot-kick in the top corner in the 65th minute, after Vinicius Jr was felled and awarded a penalty after a video review, having been denied a spot kick after a previous review moments earlier.
Real substitute Luka Jovic spurned a great chance to win it for the hosts, but Sheriff quickly got down the other end and, after a throw-in, the ball fell to Luxembourg midfielder Thill, who unleashed a lethal shot into the far top corner.
From the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, Sheriff top Champions League Group D with six points from two games, while Real are second with three.
Mohamed Salah has struck twice, as Liverpool sauntered to a 5-1 victory against injury-struck Porto to seize command of a daunting Group B.
A tricky-looking fixture on paper was negotiated with ease by Liverpool, who were far superior in every department and helped by a woeful display from Porto keeper Diogo Costa.
Porto were dealt a blow before kickoff, as captain and centreback Pepe was injured in the warm-up, and the hosts were further handicapped, when midfielder Otavio lasted only 13 minutes, before hobbling off with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool took ruthless advantage, with Salah tapping in after a mistake by Costa after 17 minutes, and they doubled their lead just before halftime, when Sadio Mane scored from close range, with Costa again culpable.
Salah made it 3-0 on the hour, with a typically neat finish, before Porto rallied with Mehdi Taremi heading past Alisson.
Any hope of a late Porto comeback was extinguished, when Costa made a mad dash from his goal and substitute Roberto Firmino rolled a shot into an empty net.
Porto's misery was complete, when Firmino grabbed his second of the night in the 81st minute.
Liverpool top the group with six points from two games, ahead of Atletico Madrid, who have four points.
Reuters.
