Lionel Messi scores with incredible long-range effort against PSG for Barcelona

  /  autty

Lionel Messi scored and incredible goal to pull Barcelona level in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie with PSG.

The Argentine picked the ball up roughly 35 yards from goal, cut inside and unleashed a venomous effort.

Keylor Navas could get nowhere near it and watched as the ball swerved and dipped into the top corner.

In the BT Sport studio, Joe Cole waxed lyrical about the thunderbolt Messi delivered to pull Barcelona level at 1-1 on the night.

He said: 'He has just put absolute violence in that strike, it is unbelievable, it is a pleasure and privilege to watch him.

'We are used to him just finding the corners but that one is something special.'

Owen Hargreaves agreed and called the legendary forward, the 'best player on the pitch' while Gary Lineker tweeted: 'It may not count for anything but Messi has just scored an absolute scorcher. Ridiculous.'

Messi's strike came seven minutes after Kylian Mbappe had broken the deadlock from the penalty spot.

Clement Lenglet clipped the back of Mauro Icardi's leg and the decision was to point to the spot after VAR intervened.

Cole struggled to get his head around the decision, saying: 'For football, we can't go on like this, we know it is accidental, yes he caught him, in what world is that a penalty. You cannot give a penalty for that, you can't, it is taking the art of defending away.'

But Messi soon had the visitors on terms. He could then have put them ahead with a penalty of his own but Keylor Navas produced a save to keep the score level before half time.

Related: Paris Saint-Germain Barcelona Messi Navas
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