Goals by Lionel Messi and Arnaud Kalimuendo gave Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday, with France’s domestic champions overcoming a strong defensive effort by the reigning J. League holders at a packed National Stadium in Tokyo.
PSG, visiting Japan for the first time on a three-stop tour that will also see them play Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka, arrived in the capital with an all-star lineup featuring the fearsome front line of Messi, Brazilian phenom Neymar and France’s 2018 World Cup MVP Kylian Mbappe.
But they found themselves stymied by a determined Frontale side that deployed a compact defense rarely seen by their J. League opposition, playing competently and boldly despite missing several key players to national team duty for the ongoing EAFF E-1 Championships.