Lionel Messi opened his Paris Saint-Germain account in familiar fashion last night, as he scored a stunning second in a 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Parc Des Princes. PSG fielded a front three of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the Champions League Group A clash but their opening goal came from a more unlikely source in the form of midfielder Idrissa Gueye. The game remained in the balance until the 74th minute when Messi carried the ball from deep and played a one two with Mbappe before whipping the ball past a helpless Ederson. Elsewhere last night Liverpool thrashed FC Porto 5-1 at Estadio do Dragao to make it two wins from two, while Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol stunned 13-time winners Real Madrid - Sebastien Thill's 90th minute strike giving the competition debutants a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu. Tonight Manchester United look to end a run of three defeats in four matches as they take on Villarreal at Old Trafford (kick-off 8pm), with Chelsea travelling to play Juventus.
In his column this morning Gordon D'Arcy has reflected on the gruelling pre-seasons of his playing days, which saw physical pain combined with hope for what might lay ahead over the following nine months. He writes: "Rugby balls lay untouched on the sideline for most of the summer. What sustains a player through pre-season is the camaraderie that stems from the fact that misery loves company but also the promise of what the season holds. There is a sense of optimism." And he believes three of the four provinces will be pleased with their opening efforts in the United Rugby Championship - Munster in particular. "Munster looked sharp, did a lot of really good things with centre Rory Scannell a catalyst for many of them including a Sonny Bill Williams-esque offload and a beautifully weighted cross-field kick. Simon Zebo's second try was a thing of beauty. Stephen Larkham has been busy in pre-season judging by what was on offer in terms of the patterns. They boast all the qualities required to hunt down silverware."
Elsewhere this morning Seán Moran has suggested Jack O'Connor will be well aware of the environment he is returning to in his latest stint as Kerry manager - especially with Sam Maguire once again residing in Ulster. He writes: "This presents O'Connor with a familiar landscape. Three times he has been appointed Kerry manager and on each occasion Tyrone had just won the All-Ireland and in the process beaten Kerry. Neither is this simply coincidence. It's been central to his appointment." Meanwhile Kildare are set to name Tom Cribbin as O'Connor's replacement. Cribbin had acted as a selector under O'Connor for two seasons, and for Cian O'Neill prior to that.
Stephen Larkham has confirmed his attention to remain with Munster beyond the current season. The former Wallabies outhalf said yesterday: "We've got a really good cohesion as a coaching group at the moment, we're really enjoying it and from a playing perspective it's really our third year together now as a larger group. Yeah, the environment's great at the moment."
And Frankie Dettori is set for his first-ever ride at Bellewstown on Thursday, in a special race being held in the memory of Barney Curley who died earlier this year aged 81.
