The Parisian festival continues: 4-0 against Nantes during the Champions Trophy; 5-0 in Clermont for the first day; and now 5-2. Paris-Saint-Germain confirmed their thunderous start to the season by easily beating Montpellier on Saturday evening August 13, during the second day of Ligue 1.
The meeting marked the start of the season for Kylian Mbappé, eagerly awaited by the Parc des Princes after his sensational contract extension at the end of last season. To start his sixth year in Paris, after missing the Champions Trophy (suspension) and the opening of the championship (injury), the world champion had a mixed evening, with a missed penalty and a few gestures of annoyance, but also a goal, at the conclusion of a corner (69e).
This achievement, not celebrated, came to appease a hitherto frustrating game for the Frenchman, warmly embraced by his teammates. Because if Lionel Messi and Neymar, the men at the start of the season, continue to find themselves with their eyes closed, this is less the case for the 23-year-old international, a little less successful, and even exasperated at times, before his exit at 86e minute.
Neymar on very high bases
The Brazilian, he remains on very high bases, with a double (43e on penalty, and 51e) which brings his total of goals to five in three official matches, in addition to the three assists delivered since the end of July.
The first Parisian goal came from a shot from Mbappé off target and awkwardly deflected into his goal by Falaye Sacko, also at fault on the penalty converted by Neymar. And the last, by Renato Sanches, already a scorer for his first match after arriving from Lille (88e).
Paris still conceded its first goals of the season, by Wahbi Khazri (58e) and Enzo Tchato (90+2). In the championship standings, PSG took the lead alone ahead of Monaco, held in check but combative against Rennes (1-1) at the end of the afternoon, before the rest of this second day, Sunday.
It will probably take an opponent of a higher caliber to judge the solidity of this PSG and especially the viability of the attacking trio Messi-Neymar-Mbappé. But with fourteen goals in three games, all competitions combined, and two goals conceded, Paris started the season on a very high footing and the state of grace continues for Galtier, who will nevertheless be judged on the club’s European course.