Lionel Messi made his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since winning the World Cup with Argentina and scored in a 2-0 victory against Angers in Ligue 1 on Wednesday.

The win, which came three and a half weeks after he captained Argentina to their World Cup final triumph on penalties against France in Qatar, saw PSG move six points clear at the top of the French table.

Messi had been rested for PSG’s first three matches following the long break in the season caused by the World Cup but he returned to training in Paris a week ago and was back in the starting line-up for this match against Ligue 1’s bottom side.

Neymar also started, having missed his team’s last two matches, but Kylian Mbappe was rested for a second straight game.

That meant young striker Hugo Ekitike again started in the home attack at the Parc des Princes and he opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a Nordi Mukiele cross at the end of a move in which Messi also featured.

PSG were not at their sparkling best but Messi swept in his 13th club goal of the season to make it 2-0 with 17 minutes left.

Christophe Galtier’s team extended their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Lens were held to a 2-2 draw away at Strasbourg. (AFP via Guardian)

•PHOTO: Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and SCO Angers at The Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on January 11, 2023. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)

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