FRENCH fans were welcomed back to watch live football as Paris Saint-Germain ramped up their Champions League preparations.
Some 5,000 supporters were allowed to attend as PSG thrashed second tier Le Havre 9-0 in a friendly clash.
Neymar was back playing in front of a crowd for PSG
World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe was back entertaining fans in France
Supporters occupied a section of the stadium
In the first pro game open to spectators since Covid-19 sent fans packing, onlookers were obliged to wear face masks.
Only a fifth of the 25,000 seats in Le Havre’s Stade Oceane were used with supporters safely dispersed.
France’s Ligue 1 was controversially scrapped as the coronavirus took hold, with PSG awarded the title in April courtesy of the 12-point lead they had at the top.
But Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Co still have football to play and blew away the cobwebs after four months sat on the sidelines as the rest of Europe’s elite leagues got back to work.
Fans watched PSG’s stars warm-up in the sunshine
Neymar and Mauro Icardi bagged first-half doubles with Mbappe also finding the net to give the French champs a 5-0 lead.
Virtually the whole side was subbed off at the break to give the whole squad a run out, but PSG continued the rout by bagging four more goals in the second period.
PSG are due to face Italian surprise package Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in August.
But first they have domestic matters to attend to with the finals of the French Cup and League Cup to be played this month.
Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi joined Neymar in the first live action watched by fans in months
This evening’s game saw PSG’s strip carry the French for “All united” and “Thank you” to show their gratitude for health workers.
The death toll in France has risen to over 30,000 and all football matches were initially banned until September.
But as the situation improved the authorities backtracked and tonight’s friendly game had the unfamiliar sight of fans in the stands.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
