Crack open the bubbly. In France's City of Kings, at the heart of the Champagne region, Lionel Messi made his Paris Saint-Germain entrance as footballing royalty arrived in the 'farmers' league'.

There's a new king in town and although we saw only half an hour of Messi at Reims' Stade Auguste-Delaune, you could hardly take your eye off the man.

Incongruous in the blue of PSG as he was, this is Messi's lot now, the future he has chosen since his Barcelona career ended in a flood of tears.

Ligue 1 gets a rough rap but Messi's arrival instantly makes it box office, and those beholding this spectacle were given a peak into what we should expect.

There was a word in the ear from Mauricio Pochettino and then a hug for Neymar, as Messi replaced the world's most expensive footballer midway through the second half, moments after Kylian Mbappe scored his and PSG's second goal of what turned out to be a 2-0 win.

There was to be no Messi goal, as much as it appeared many inside the stadium were willing there to be one, particularly the pogoing PSG ultras.

His entrance and then his first touch, a simple 10-yard pass deep inside his own half, were cheered loudly, and it was not long before Messi was collecting the ball and charging forward, driving at pace through midfield and darting towards the penalty area.

Such a familiar sight, and here Messi had the luxury of being able to offload to Mbappe on the right. Mbappe, the player Real Madrid desperately want and might yet get before transfer window closes.

Then came notice from the union of Ligue 1 hardmen that Messi would not have it easy in France.

As Mbappe collected the pass, Messi was given the no-nonsense treatment twice by backtracking Reims players as he sought the return ball, Marshall Munetsi practically grabbing the six-time Ballon d'Or winner around the collar in a fruitless effort to halt his progress.

Mbappe could not quite pick the pass, with Messi surrounded, but it was a moment where you wondered what a rich harvest of goals that combination might produce, and whether we might see its potential come to fruition this season.

Munetsi hacked down Messi again later as the game reached stoppage time. Naturally, Messi has seen it all before. It was handshakes all round at the end.

It might be a different shirt, but this was the same old Messi. There was the thrill of one of those delicious give-and-go movements, and referee Francois Letexier played six minutes of stoppage time too. Why not see a little more?

Deep beneath the streets of Reims lie 200 kilometres of cellars and tunnels housing the finest bottles of bubbles, produced in these parts and maturing underground before being dispatched worldwide.

It pays to be patient, the subterranean conditions bringing the best out of the local delicacy before it reaches its fullest flavour. Bring a bottle out too soon and the product will fall short of the exacting standards 

Messi's 65 minutes on the bench allowed him to size up the pace of the French game at close quarters, and then he was ripe to be released. The cork is out of the bottle now though, and the thrill of Messi at provincial stadiums such as this is one fans will drink in for as long as this stop-off lasts.

He was fouled three times in all, a joint team high alongside Neymar, had 26 touches, and made 95.2 per cent of his passes (20 of 21). He won four of his five duels – those within the laws of the game – and no doubt delighted Pochettino and his Qatari paymasters.

PSG brought their imported grandes marques to a city that exports its homegrown fizzy finery, where the cathedral has witnessed 31 coronations, and they won with goals from a young player they might be dispatching to foreign climes within a matter of hours in return for a king's ransom.

Perhaps Mbappe might just fancy a full season of this, though. Will his partnership with Messi really be a one-night stand?

As jarring as watching this all unfold must have felt in Barcelona, as bitter an aftertaste as it must have left, all it lacked for the Parisians was the crowning glory of a Messi goal, and they will soon be flowing.

Aissa Mandi’s last-minute own goal rescued a point for Atletico Madrid in their 2-2 draw with Villarreal at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The reigning champions appeared on course for a first home defeat since February after substitute Arnaut Danjuma gave the visitors a 2-1 lead.

But Diego Simeone’s men snatched a share of the spoils in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Mandi unwittingly diverted Saul's long ball beyond Geronimo Rulli.

Luis Suarez had earlier cancelled out Manu Trigueros' effort as both sides maintained their unbeaten starts to the season.

Mauricio Pochettino described it as a "gift" to have Kylian Mbappe after the forward demonstrated his abilities with both goals in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Reims.

Mbappe has been the centre of much transfer speculation having apparently told the club he wants to leave. Real Madrid are seemingly the only runner in the race to sign a player who is in the final year of his current contract at PSG.

There was no questioning his commitment to his current employers on Sunday, though, as the 22-year-old scored twice at Stade Auguste Delaune, in the process overshadowing a debut appearance off the bench for new recruit Lionel Messi.

Madrid have reportedly had two bids rejected for Mbappe, with sporting director Leonardo making clear PSG hope he stays in the French capital.

"Kylian is our player," Pochettino said in his post-match interview on Amazon Prime after a fourth straight win at the start of the new Ligue 1 season.

"You know in football there are rumours, but I think our president and our sporting director are very clear, he is here. 

"We are very happy to have him here, that is. He is one of the best players in the world. It's a gift to have him."

Mbappe has scored or assisted a goal in each of his past nine games in Ligue 1 (10 goals, three assists). 

Both goals against Reims came from crosses, with the opener headed in from Angel Di Maria's delivery. Achraf Hakimi was the provider for number two in the second half, albeit only after the home team had seen a potential equaliser ruled out by VAR for offside.

"Of course we like to play with the strongest and Kylian has shown that he's a great striker," PSG midfielder Marco Verratti told Amazon Prime after the final whistle.

"It's not today that we discover Kylian. He's a phenomenon, everyone expects a lot from him. Sometimes we wait until he misses a game to fall on him but we know him, we are very happy with him."

PSG are unbeaten in 11 Ligue 1 away games (W10 D1), their longest unbeaten run away from home in the top flight since a 17-match streak between February 2018 and January 2019.

A home clash with Clermont is up next for Pochettino's squad, albeit not until after the international break, by which time Mbappe could well have departed for Spain.

Jose Mourinho declared Roma are establishing a promising squad after landing their second consecutive win in Serie A with a 4-0 victory over Salernitana.

Mourinho's men followed up a 3-1 defeat of Fiorentina with the four-goal rout – just the second time since the 1970s they have scored at least seven goals in their opening two Serie A matches.

It is also the first time they have started a Serie A campaign with successive wins since 2014-15. They were inspired by Henrikh Mkhitaryan who provided another assist on Sunday and has now been directly involved in eight goals in his last six top-flight games.

Mourinho, who is the third coach to win his first two Serie A games with Roma, is satisfied with the progress his side are making.

"It was impossible not to win, I was calm from the first minute because the team played really well," Mourinho told DAZN.

"I arrived happy at Roma, I was happy to be back in Italy and in a team with real fans and people who are passionate.

"I don't want too much time and tranquillity, it would go against my nature. It's not time to finish seventh or eighth, I want to speed up the growth process.

"We are building a good group, I am not saying that I would like to have more quality, but more experience.

"I need a squad and a team that is on the pitch, there are richer squads than ours but I'm working well."

Olivier Giroud scored his first two goals for Milan to help his side maintain their winning start to the Serie A campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory against Genoa at San Siro on Sunday.

The Rossoneri were made to work hard for last week's 1-0 win over Sampdoria but proved far too strong for Genoa as they put on a show for their returning supporters, scoring all four goals in the first half.

Alessandro Deiola netted Genoa's first goal in six league games versus Milan to cancel out Sandro Tonali's opener, but Rafael Leao's heavily deflected strike and Giroud's double gave the hosts breathing space at the midway point.

Milan were happy to keep hold of possession from that point on as they cruised to a seventh league game without defeat stretching into last season.

Tonali lifted the ball over the Genoa wall and just out of back-up goalkeeper Boris Radunovic's reach to get Milan up and running inside 12 minutes with just his second Serie A goal.

Stefano Pioli's side were pegged back soon after through a Deiola header after the midfielder was picked out by a smart Joao Pedro pass – the first goal Milan had conceded in seven league matches.

But Leao restored his side's advantage in rather fortuitous circumstances as his shot took a big touch off the back of Brahim Diaz – Milan's match-winner last weekend – and flew past Radunovic.

Giroud's first Milan goal followed seven minutes later, the Frenchman curling a first-time shot into the far-left corner when played in by Diaz, and he had a second before half-time when converting a penalty awarded for a Kevin Strootman handball.

Milan then went through the motions and did not register a single attempt on target in the second period, with Charalampos Lykogiannis going closest to scoring for the visitors when testing Mike Maignan 10 minutes from time.

Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and David De Gea expressed their excitement for Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford after defeating Wolves 1-0 on Sunday.

United set an English football record as they reached 28 away games without defeat with Sunday's win but the travelling fans had more reason to celebrate earlier in the week.

The Red Devils announced on Friday that a deal worth £12.8m (€15m) plus £6.9m (€8m) in add-ons had been agreed with Juventus to bring Ronaldo back to Manchester for a second spell.

And following United's record-breaking outing at Molineux, De Gea spoke excitedly about linking up with the Portugal captain.

"It’s like a dream for all the Manchester United fans, for us," the Spain goalkeeper said to Sky Sports post-match.

"To have him [Cristiano Ronaldo] back it is going to be great, you can feel in the atmosphere. Hopefully, he can bring something special as well to make the team even better. It's great to have him."

Pogba, who surpassed Ronaldo's Premier League assist record for the Red Devils against Southampton last Sunday, echoed De Gea's sentiments.

"Everybody knows [what he brings]," the Frenchman told Sky Sports. "He's already a legend in this club and he's coming back, so obviously it's huge for us, for the club.

"He's going to bring his experience, his quality and obviously when he comes the level goes up.

"We're really pleased he's coming but the most important today is the win so when he comes we keep this mentality of winning, and keep winning."

Lewis Hamilton hit out at Formula One bosses as he claimed "money talks" after a farcical Belgian Grand Prix was aborted after only two laps.

Heavy downpours prevented any competitive racing from taking place in the shortest F1 race in history at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday.

Following an initial delay of half an hour due to the poor conditions, the start was eventually put back by over three hours, with two failed attempts to get under way after Sergio Perez had crashed while making his way out onto the grid.

The crowd were not rewarded for their patience, as a red flag was flown after only two and a half laps with the drivers behind the safety car.

Max Verstappen was declared the winner ahead of George Russell, with Hamilton third – the positions they started on the grid.

With only half points awarded due to F1 regulations, Red Bull's Verstappen cut Hamilton's championship lead to only three points.

The seven-time F1 world champion felt the drivers were only sent out for financial reasons and fans should be given refunds.

"Money talks, and literally the two laps to start the race was all a money scenario," Hamilton told Sky Sports.

"Everyone gets their money – and I think the fans should get theirs back too. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see what they paid for.

"It's a shame we couldn't do the race tomorrow. I love this track as well, so [I am] sad we couldn't do this. Today wasn't a race. I think the sport made a bad choice today.

"Of course, we wanted to race but this minimum of two laps you need to do to count as a race, between the gap [between the race stopping and resuming] it rained consistently.

"There was only one reason why they sent us out. That's why I feel more bad for the fans."

Ronald Koeman insisted Barcelona had other players who could step up and lead after Memphis Depay stood head and shoulders over the rest in Sunday's narrow win over Getafe.

Barcelona's 2-1 win in LaLiga came thanks to a second-minute strike from Sergi Roberto and a lovely run and finish from Netherlands forward Depay on the half-hour mark, the close-season arrival from Lyon already stamping his mark in Spain.

Between those goals, former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez briefly drew Getafe level, and the team who have yet to pick up a point this season pushed the hosts hard in the second half at Camp Nou.

For all the praise Koeman showered on Barcelona after the game, his players managed just seven attempts on goal, and they have not had fewer in a LaLiga fixture since tallying five in a 2-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid in March 2013. They have not had fewer in the league at home since at least 2003-04, Opta revealed.

Barcelona's seven points from three games look to be masking some serious shortcomings. Antoine Griezmann was mostly anonymous against Getafe and faced flak from the crowd, his display a blow to those that thought he might step up this season and assume the protagonist role previously vacated by Lionel Messi.

Koeman nonetheless looked for the positives, and said: "I don't like it when a Barca player is whistled. Someone who works like Antoine can never be criticised.

"All the attackers can have their day but there are games where you can't find the space. We haven't created opportunities for him either."

The France forward made more tackles than any other Barcelona player – five – but he did not have one shot or create a chance in his 84 minutes on the pitch. At the sharp end of the pitch, he was blunt.

Getafe have now played 17 away games against Barcelona in LaLiga without managing a win (W0 D4 L13). but Koeman praised the visitors.

"It was a difficult game. Getafe are a strong team," he said.

"We started very well. They equalised. We had control of the game but we didn't create many chances.

"I think that in the second half we lowered our performance with the ball. It should be noted, the work and the attitude we had to win the match. It was different from last year. Last year we drew games like today's. I'm very happy with the team."

Depay appears to have assumed the Messi role. His equaliser at Athletic Bilbao salvaged a point, and here his dribble and powerful finish coming in from the left side of the penalty was almost a mirror image of a typical Messi goal.

"I don't know if Memphis should lead," Koeman said. "There are more players to do it. We know that with him we have a player at the top who can make a difference. He did it today and also last week."

Barcelona could yet dip into the transfer market before Tuesday's deadline, but Koeman is not sure what the prospects are there.

He said: "Hopefully we can reinforce the squad because we need it, but if it is not possible, we will continue working as before."

Next for Barcelona is a Champions League group game against Bayern Munich, the team that thrashed them 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals in August last year.

That September 14 clash at Camp Nou will be preceded by countless reminders of the dark night at the Estadio da Luz, but Koeman will expect much better from Barcelona.

He wants them to make their home stadium, attended by 26,543 spectators on Sunday, as mighty a fortress as possible.

Without Messi, that seems a tall order, but Koeman has no choice but to set a high bar for his team.

"We have to win at home," Koeman said. "Last year we lost points here and this year we have two victories at home."

George Russell rejoiced in achieving a maiden Formula One podium finish, even if the circumstances of his second place at the Belgian Grand Prix were a little unorthodox.

The race was called off at a rain-soaked Spa after just two laps behind a safety car, with pole-sitter Max Verstappen declared the winner as British duo Russell and Lewis Hamilton completed the top three.

Heavy rain had delayed the start by over three hours as Sergio Perez had crashed while making his way out onto the grid.

The conditions ultimately made competitive racing impossible, but a two-lap procession was enough to declare a result, with half points awarded.

Williams driver Russell, who performed wonders to qualify second on the grid, felt it was a suitable reward.

"We don't often get rewarded for great qualifyings, but we absolutely did today," said the 23-year-old.

"It was a shame we did not get the race under way but, from my side, and the team's side it's an amazing result.

"The whole team deserve it because there has been so much hard work going into work over the last few years and there has been nothing to show for it, but we absolutely nailed it yesterday."

Red Bull's Verstappen is now just three points behind defending champion Hamilton and he reflected on a crucial performance in Saturday's qualifying, which also took place on a sodden track.

He said: "Now, in hindsight, it was very important to get that pole position. It's a shame to not get proper laps, but the conditions were very tricky.

"At 3.30pm the conditions were decent but the visibility was very low. I think if we'd started at 3pm we would have had a decent chance.

"Big credit to the fans for staying here all day."

Hamilton added: "They knew, at the end, the track wasn't any better and they did it just so they could do two laps and declare a race. I really hope the fans get their money back.

"You couldn't see even five metres in front of you on the straight. You couldn't even see the flashing light in front of you."

Lionel Messi is poised to make a brief Paris Saint-Germain debut after being left on the bench for their Ligue 1 game at Reims.

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the latter heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, were both included in Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

Pochettino opted to leave Messi out of PSG's win over Brest last time out despite the former Barcelona star training with his new team-mates following his sensational exit from Camp Nou.

However, he confirmed to Amazon Prime on Sunday that Messi would at least play a cameo role against Reims.

He said: "He's [Lionel Messi] is going to be on the bench.

"He arrived late in the pre-season. He's working hard, he can have a few minutes today to start helping the team."

The Belgian Grand Prix was called off at a rain-soaked Spa after just two laps, though that was still enough racing for Max Verstappen to claim a victory that cuts Lewis Hamilton's championship lead.

Heavy downpours ruined Formula One's return after the mid-season break, with the start delayed by over three hours after Sergio Perez had crashed while making his way out onto the grid.

Eventually the cars did get out onto the track with the plan to stage a one-hour race amid time constraints, only for the red flag to again be waved after the field had tip-toed around behind the safety car.

However, having managed to successfully get around the circuit twice, a final result was declared with half points awarded.

Having claimed pole position in qualifying on Saturday, Verstappen was awarded the victory, his sixth of a hugely impressive 2021 campaign for Red Bull.

Hamilton, meanwhile, had to settle for third place, behind fellow Briton George Russell. It means the reigning world champion leads the driver standings by just three points with 10 rounds to go.

"It's a win but not how you want to win. Today a big credit goes to all the fans around the track for staying here the whole day in the rain, the cold, windy conditions. They are actually the bigger winners today," Verstappen said.

Racing had already been pushed back from the scheduled start of 15:00 local time (14:00 BST) when Perez provided a further complication. The Red Bull driver lost control in the tricky conditions and skidded into a barrier. Unable to reverse out, he climbed out and appeared set to be out of the race.

But, with his team having time to work on the damage amid the lengthy stoppage, the Mexican was cleared by race director Michael Masi to resume from the pit lane.

In the end, the entire grid returned from the pits behind the safety car to try and get under way, only for the red flag to be waved again. Not long after, it was confirmed racing had been stopped, bringing a rather damp and disappointing end to proceedings.

Memphis Depay struck an exquisite winner as Barcelona edged out Getafe 2-1 at Camp Nou, with the Dutch forward able to celebrate a feat that was last achieved a decade ago.

His 30th-minute strike made Depay the first Barcelona player to be involved in a goal in each of his first three appearances in LaLiga since Cesc Fabregas in 2011, and it was a classic finish from the Dutch forward that saw him match the former playmaker.

Depay had an assist in Barcelona's opening win over Real Sociedad, then scored in the draw at Athletic Bilbao, and his first league goal at home for the Blaugrana proved to be decisive.

Sergi Roberto's second-minute strike had been cancelled out by former Barca forward Sandro Ramirez, but Sunday's disjointed display from the hosts was still enough for three points thanks to former Lyon man Depay.

Barcelona made a strong start, with Sergi Roberto sliding home their opener after 99 seconds, the earliest Barcelona have scored in a LaLiga game under Ronald Koeman. Jordi Alba's low cross from the left was cleverly dummied by Martin Braithwaite at the near post and Sergi Roberto powered in the finish.

Getafe pulled level in the 19th minute, however, with a pair of former Barca players involved. Sandro struck a fine finish low into the left corner after exchanging passes with Carles Alena on the edge of the penalty area.

Depay's moment arrived on the half hour, collecting a pass from fellow Dutchman Frenkie de Jong on the left and cutting in, teasing defender Juan Iglesias before smashing a powerful shot inside the near post.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was back for this match after knee surgery, and the Barca goalkeeper took a clattering just before half-time, Enes Unal challenging forcefully as the German clutched a long-range shot from Mauro Arambarri at the second attempt.

Ter Stegen saved from Nemanja Maksimovic just before the hour as Getafe sought a second equaliser, and an unmarked Sergi Roberto headed straight at David Soria from Clement Lenglet's cross moments later.

Barcelona were far from convincing, still obviously missing the influence of the departed Lionel Messi, and the second half was awfully scrappy.

But in the absence of anything discernably threatening from a lacklustre Antoine Griezmann, Depay's matchwinning qualities made the difference, even if he did squander a golden chance late on, volleying over from close range.

Rafal Majka produced an impressive solo effort to claim a comfortable victory on stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana.

The UAE-Team Emirates rider went solo with 87 kilometres of the 197.5km route from Navalmoral de la Mata to El Barraco remaining and held off a chase led by Steven Kruijswijk.

Majka finished one minute and 27 seconds ahead of Jumbo-Visma's Kruijswijk for his first stage win in four years, with Chris Hamilton of Team DSM taking third.

"Sometimes you try and it's not easy to to get in break, but today I tried from the start," Majka said. "I didn't wait for nobody today. 

"I wanted to win the stage. I wanted to win for my father and my two two kids. I only thought of one thing.

"I had a bad start to the season and it wasn't easy for me and my family, especially when my father died. I wanted to win for him, for my kids and for my great team UAE Team Emirates."

There was no change in terms of the general classification standings on Sunday as race leader Odd Christian Eiking retained his 54s lead on Guillaume Martin, while two-time defending champion Primoz Roglic remains third.

However, there was some drama as Adam Yates jumped ahead of the peloton to snatch 15s on Eiking and the rest of the chasing pack in the battle for the red jersey.

INEOS Grenadiers rider Jonathan Narvaez abandoned the race midway through and Jonathan Caicedo did not start as they joined fellow Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz in dropping out.

STAGE RESULT

1. Rafal Majka (UAE-Team Emirates) 04:51:36
2. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) +1:27
3. Chris Hamilton (Team DSM) +2:19
4. Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:42
5. Giulio Ciccone (Trek - Segafredo) +2:57

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 59:57:50
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:54
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:36

Points Classification

1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 200
2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 114
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 108

King of the Mountains

1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 50 
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
3. Rafal Majka (UAE-Team Emirates) 29

What's next?

After a much-needed day of rest, the riders go again on Tuesday with a flat 180km stretch from Laredo to Santo Cruz de Bezana. It is the last clear stage for the sprinters, so expect a mass sprint for the finish line.