Football News : Lionel Messi breaks Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League goal scoring record

In his team's 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa in Group H, Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi set a record, for Champions League goals scored that he previously shared with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Christophe Galtier's team, looking to capitalise on their opening 2-1 victory over Juventus, encountered a hostile environment there and came dangerously close to suffering a shocking defeat.

The hosts' Tjaronn Chery scored with a boot on the 24-minute mark, but PSG would tie the score after the break when Messi pounced on a loose ball and scored inside the box.

The seven-time winner of the Ballon d'Or then switched roles, assisting Kylian Mbappe to give PSG the lead before the third and last member of the illustrious attacking triumvirate, Neymar, sealed a 3-1 victory in the 88th minute.

Messi and longtime rival Ronaldo each had a Champions League goal against 38 different opponents prior to making the net tremble against Maccabi Haifa. After scoring against his 39th side in European competition, the 35-year-old is now the category's undisputed record holder.

But that wasn't the only record he set at the Sammy Ofer Stadium. With his goal in the 37th minute, Messi also made history by becoming the first player to score in 18 straight UCL campaigns. He now has 126 goals overall in the league.

Ronaldo apparently told Manchester United he wanted to join a club vying for Champions League glory in the summer, but no firm offer from such a club materialised.

Messi, meantime, has had a fantastic start to the 2022-23 season, scoring five goals and dishing out eight assists in his first 10 games for PSG in Ligue 1, the Champions League, and the Trophee des Champions.

In 44 games for the French champions, who are tied with Benfica at the top of Champions League Group H on six points, the ex-Barcelona player has racked up 16 goals and 23 assists.

On October 5, when PSG travels to the Estadio do Luz to play Benfica, Galtier has issued a warning to his players about the necessity for them to tighten up following their sluggish start against Maccabi Haifa.

"We had a difficult first half. We had a good start with some good situations, but the pitch meant that we made mistakes when coming towards goal and in one-on-ones,"

Galtier told PSG media.

"We were badly organised, the pressure on the opponent was not good and the team was cut in two. In the second half, we changed things, we exchanged with each other at the break to have a better balance."

"As soon as we were all together, in a much more compact block, things became a bit easier for us. We created situations and it took the quality of our attacking trio to go and get the win."

Prior to the break, PSG will play Lyon away on Sunday night to continue defending their Ligue 1 championship.

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