France Ligue 1

PSG have picked up a second 4-2 win in two games despite Lionel Messi once again not being involved as they triumphed at Brest.Ander Herrera volleyed home after a goalkeeping error before a cushioned header from Kylian Mbappe added a second.
The hosts then got back into the game after Franck Honorat capped off a brilliant move by firing into the bottom corner.
But a third for PSG came from the unlikeliest of sources with Idrissa Gana Gueye shooting into the top corner from 35 yards out.
Brest then got back into it again through ex-Huddersfield man Steve Mounie before Di Maria made the game safe with a carbon copy of his Copa America final winner against Brazil.
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AU REVOIR
Paris Saint-Germain end the evening where they expect to end the season: at the very top of Ligue 1.
Their 4-2 victory at Brest lacked Lionel Messi and conviction, but served up enough teasers to indicate that this will be a season to remember for the Parisians.
An arrowed Herrera volley, an explosive Mbappe header, a 40-yard thunderbolt from Gueye and Di Maria’s late lob proved that whatever their frailties elsewhere, this club is the very definition of box office.
Both the players and supporters of Paris celebrated joyously together as they left Stade Francis-Le Ble. Just think how happy they’ll be when Messi is finally ready to join them out on the pitch.

CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Despite their attacking riches, questions are again being asked of the Paris Saint-Germain defence after another two goals conceded at Brest this evening.
The Parisians are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and have now been breached five times in their opening three games.
Yet while the rest of Europe’s big guns are rubbing their hands in delight at this potential glitch, the level-headed PSG followers are urging others to stay calm.
Achraf Hakimi apart, Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice goalkeeper and defence is likely to be completely different going forward with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Layvin Kurzawa all waiting to come in.
PSG don’t have their top 2 CB’s or their top LB, which should be taken into account for all of this, but the trend line here isn’t great. Especially for Navas, who seems to be losing out in the 50/50 saves he’s been so good at over the years. #SB29PSG— Marc Damon (@MarcDamon9) August 20, 2021

STAT’S MAGIC
There may have been no Lionel Messi, but six goals, 27 shots, a couple of goalkeeping blunders and a former Huddersfield striker on target points to a memorable night at Stade Francis-Le Ble.

MAXIMUM IMPACT
PSG have registered nine points from their opening three games for the first time in three years.
The Parisians cantered to the title that season, and will be expecting more of the same following their summer transfer activity.
3 – Paris have won their first three games of a Ligue 1 season (2-1 v Troyes, 4-2 v Strasbourg and 4-2 v Brest) for the fourth time in their last seven seasons in the top-flight (2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22). Boss. #SB29PSG pic.twitter.com/yCbf9Xh8Vv— OptaJean (@OptaJean) August 20, 2021

FT: BREST 2-4 PSG
PSG prevail 4-2 for the second league match in succession, and once again it was a game that they made unnecessarily hard work of. First half goals from Ander Herrera and Kylian Mbappe had them well in charge, and a second half scorcher from Idrissa Gueye will be long remembered. Yet Brest were never out of touch, and strikes from Franck Honorat and Steve Mounie kept them in contention for an unlikely draw all the way into injury time when Angel Di Maria sealed victory with a delightful lob. It’s three wins from three for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, but their all-star cast can – and must – do better.
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!THE FINAL WHISTLE GOES!
BREST 2-4 PSG
90. Off the bench, Angel Di Maria settles PSG nerves and seals another three points with a delightful lob on the counter-attack.
Throwing the kitchen sink at the visitors, Brest had looked poised to find a dramatic equaliser. Yet PSG held firm when it mattered, and when Keylor Navas punched away a final cross, they flooded forward in numbers.
Di Maria was the driving force, moving through the midfield and exchanging passes with Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan’s return was delightful, and left the Argentine through on a goal vacated by Marco Bizot.
The substitute looked up, and then lifted his effort beautifully over the oncoming goalkeeper to score his side’s fourth.

GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!ANGEL DI MARIA SEALS IT FOR PSG!!
BREST 2-3 PSG
88. Brest are giving it a real good go, and Honorat is running riot down the right.
The winger is getting the better of Diallo time and time again, and has so much room to pick out a cross. He finds Mounie at the back stick, but his header is blocked by Kehrer.
BREST 2-3 PSG
86. A Brest change as Jean-Kevin Duverne takes over from Ronael Pierre-Gabriel.
BREST 2-3 PSG
85. With just under five minutes remaining, Brest have renewed hope.
Once again, the PSG defence are architects of their own downfall. Romain Faivre is afforded plenty of space to roam and pick out Steve Mounie, who evades the ball-watching Presnel Kimpembe.
The former Huddersfield man chests down to control, and then slams his shot through the legs of Keylor Navas.
What a finale this could be!

GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!!STEVE MOUNIE FIRES IN FOR BREST!!
BREST 1-3 PSG
83. Brest still aren’t giving this one up. What have they got left in the tank?
BREST 1-3 PSG
81. Here’s Di Maria, on for a throughly fed-up Mbappe. The forward certainly hasn’t looked his usual content self.
BREST 1-3 PSG
79. Di Maria is receiving some final instructions from the PSG coaching staff, probably along the lines of “Once Neymar and Messi return, you’re going to really struggle to get a game so don’t mess this opportunity up.”
BREST 1-3 PSG
77. Brest almost pull one back straight away!
Honorats cuts a cross back for the arriving Pierre-Gabriel, but the defender’s first-time shot is straight at Navas.
BREST 1-3 PSG
76. What’s the French for “Don’t bother closing him down, it’s only Idrissa Gueye and he’s miles out”?

BREST 1-3 PSG
75. With their two-goal advantage restored, surely there will be further changes from Mauricio Pochettino in the final fifteen minutes.
BREST 1-3 PSG
73. A surprise goalscorer, whose method of scoring is an even greater surprise!
Idrissa Gueye takes charge of a partially-cleared PSG corner 45 yards from goal, allows himself a couple of steps to steady himself, and then lets fly.
The ball swerves from left to right, and creeps just inside the near post beyond a stunned Marco Bizot, who once again has not covered himself in glory.
Gueye celebrates a scorcher, and PSG will celebrate the points.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!IDRISSA GUEYE SCORES FROM 40 YARDS!!
BREST 1-2 PSG
72. A first substitution for PSG. Julian Draxler replaces Marco Verratti.
BREST 1-2 PSG
68. Chance for Brest! A big chance! Well saved!
Cardona breaks on to Uronen’s pass forward, and finds himself clean through. He cuts across Hakimi, who dives in with a missed tackle, and eyes up Navas in goal. This time, however, the Costa Rican stopper is up to the task and makes the block.
The offside flag goes up retrospectively, but I’m not convinced.
BREST 1-2 PSG
66. The visitors are still enjoying 76% of possession if enjoying is the right words.
Very few of the PSG players look pleased with the hard work they’re making of this one.
BREST 1-2 PSG
64. Mbappe goes into the book.
The PSG forward leaves a boot in as Honorat releases a pass, leaving the Brest man rolling around in agony on the turf.
BREST 1-2 PSG
62. Di Maria is surely imminent given that PSG’s attackers have either run out of ideas or willing.
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KYLIAN MBAPPE led PSG to a 4-2 victory over Strasbourg despite being booed by his own fans.The World Cup winner was given a frosty reception by the home crowd as speculation over a move to Real Madrid continues.
Mauro Icardi headed the Parisians in front after just two minutes with a lengthy VAR review ruling the goal to be onside.
And Mbappe then doubled the hosts’ lead with a deflected strike before setting up Julian Draxler for a third.
But the visitors came back into the game in the second half through goals from Kevin Gameira and Ludovic Ajorque before Mbappe set up Pablo Sarabia to make the result safe
Lionel Messi was not in the stands rather than on the pitch for today’s game, which came too soon after his Copa America exploits.
THAT’S ALL FROM PARIS
Paris Saint-Germain picked up a rather dramatic win over Strasbourg in their first home game of the season in front of Lionel Messi at Parc des Princes.
PSG opened the scoring just after three minutes when Abdou Diallo’s beautiful cross from the left flank found Mauro Icardi, who caught Matz Sels out of position and beat him with a wonderful header.
Kylian Mbappe doubled the hosts’ lead on 25 minutes after being jeered by the home crowd before kick-off as he has yet to pen a new deal with the French giants.
Mbappe got the ball down the left wing and fired a shot that deflected off Ludovic Ajorque and caught Sels off guard.
The France international turned from scorer to creator just a minute later when he provided a cross from the left flank and set Julian Draxler at the far post in front of open goal.
Things got worse for Strasbourg boss Julien Stephan as he lost Jean-Eudes Aholou to injury.
But the Coureurs refused to go quietly and put together a strong display in the opening minutes of the second half.
Adrien Thomasson, who took Aholou’s place, delivered a pinpoint cross from the right area of the box and found Kevin Gameiro who beat Keylor Navas with a stunning header on 53 minutes.
The visitors got back in the game just 11 minutes later when captain Dimitri Lienard delivered a brilliant ball from the left flank and found Ajorque, who bested Navas with a stunning header from the edge of the box.
Strasbourg’s hopes of a late comeback died when Alexander Djiku was sent off with his second yellow card in just two minutes following a reckless challenge on Icardi.
Mbappe put the game to rest with a beautiful run from the left flank that led to his second assist of the game as he set up Pablo Sarabia in front of open goal on 86 minutes
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SARABIA REACTS
Paris Saint-Germain ace Pablo Sarabia is pleased with the result but admitted his position in the starting line-up is at risk after Lionel Messi’s arrival despite his goal against Strasbourg.
Sarabia told Canal+: “It was very important for us to win.
“I am very happy for the team and for myself too. It’s good for confidence.
“Now we have to keep improving. Everyone wants to play on this team, it will be difficult for everyone to play.
“This goal is important for me because my situation is a bit difficult”
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NEYMAR RETURN
Neymar watched Paris Saint-Germain take on Strasbourg from the stands of Parc des Princes with former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi.
The Brazil international recently came back from an extended holiday following this summer’s Copa America.
The star forward is among various players who have yet to return to full match fitness after taking part in the summer’s international competitions.
The same goes for Leandro Paredes Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos as well as Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma, who competed in Euro 2020.
But Neymar should be fit sooner than Messi and we could probably see him on August 29 at Reims
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MESSI DEBUT
After Lionel Messi’s presentation, Paris Saint-Germain fans are counting down the seconds until his highly-anticipated debut.
Messi admitted he will need time to adjust as he didn’t get any pre-season training following an extended holiday he took after he led Argentina to Copa America success.
There is no set date for the star forward’s PSG debut but we can expect him to don the jersey for the first time either on August 29 at Reims or at home on September 12 against Clermont.
The match against Brest away on August 20 might also be deemed too early for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner
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UPDATED TABLE
Paris Saint-Germain have climbed up to the top of the table of Ligue 1.
PSG are alone in first place with two points ahead of Nice and Lorient.
Strasbourg are last following two losses in their first two league matches.
More below:

STATS
Paris Saint-Germain dominated 65 per cent of possession against Strasbourg.
PSG registered a total of 11 shots, six of which were on target.
The Coureurs, on the other hand, amassed a total of eight shots, two of which were on target.
Both of the visitors’ efforts on target were Kevin Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque’s goals as Keylor Navas didn’t make a single save, compared to Matz Sels who made two
FT: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
Paris Saint-Germain picked up a rather stressful win over Strasbourg in their first home match of the season in front of Lionel Messi at Parc des Princes.
PSG opened the scoring just after three minutes when Abdou Diallo’s pinpoint cross from the left flank found Mauro Icardi who caught Matz Sels out of position and beat him with a wonderful header.
Kylian Mbappe doubled the hosts’ lead on 25 minutes after being booed by the home crowd before kick-off as he has yet to pen a new deal with the French giants.
Mbappe got the ball down the left flank and fired a shot that deflected off Ludovic Ajorque and caught Sels off guard.
The France international turned from scorer to creator just a minute later when he delivered a cross from the left flank and set Julian Draxler at the far post in front of open goal.
Things got worse for Strasbourg manager Julien Stephan as he lost Jean-Eudes Aholou to an injury.
But the Coureurs refused to go down quietly and put together a strong display in the opening minutes of the second half.
Adrien Thomasson, who replaced Aholou, delivered a pinpoint cross from the right area of the box and found Kevin Gameiro who beat Keylor Navas with a stunning header on 53 minutes.
The visitors got back in the game just 11 minutes later when captain Dimitri Lienard delivered a brilliant cross from the left flank and found Ajorque, who bested Navas with a stunning header from the edge of the box.
Strasbourg’s hopes of a comeback died when Alexander Djiku was sent off with his second yellow card in just two minutes following a reckless challenge on Icardi.
Mbappe put the game to rest with a beautiful run from the left flank that led to his second assist of the match as he set up Pablo Sarabia in front of open goal on 86 minutes
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PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
THAT’S FULL-TIME IN PARIS!!!!!
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
90+4 CHANCE!
PSG superstar Mbappe whips in a free-kick from 25m but just misses Sels’ crossbar
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
90+2 YELLOW CARD
Strasbourg ace Bellegarde is booked for a heavy tackle on Kalimuendo
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
90 We’re into stoppage time and PSG are just happy to let the time roll.
Strasbourg seem to have accepted their fate.
Four more minutes to go
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
88 SUBSTITUTION
PSG manager Pochettino introduces Kalimuendo, who takes Icardi’s place
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
88 WHAT A CHANCE!
Strasbourg miss an unbelievable chance to get back into the ga,e.
Diallo gives the ball away with a foolish back pass that Waris picks up.
The Coureurs ace gets in front of Navas but sends the ball to his left sidenetting
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-2 STRASBOURG
86 PSG put the match to rest against a fighting Strasbourg side.
Mbappe runs downt he left flank and whips in a ball through to the middle where Sarabia is unmarked after Djiku’s red card.
The PSG star sends the ball to the back of the net in front of open goal

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!
PSG SCORE WITH SARABIA!!!!!!!!!!!
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
85 PSG are taking their time as we approach full-time.
Strasbourg seem like they are missing the important tools to score a third against the hosts
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
83 Strasbourg’s bid of a shock comeback has become even tougher!
Lots of tired legs on the pitch and the Coureurs haven’t created any danger since Ajorque’s goal
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
81 RED CARD
Strasbourg ace Djiku gets sent off for a challenge from behind on Icardi.
The Coureurs defender was reckless there as he went hard on the PSG star with his hands.
Two yellow cards in just two minutes for the defender!
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
80 Just 10 more minutes until full-time in Paris!
PSG are trying to hold on to the ball as much as they can whereas Strasbourg haven’t shown anything after Ajorque’s goal
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
79 YELLOW CARD
Strasbourg ace Djiku gets booked for a heavy challenge on Sarabia
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
77 Strasbourg manager Stephan makes another change after Prcic required one.
The midfielder is replaced by Siby
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
76 SUBSTITUTION
Strasbourg manager Stephan is making a rather peculiar double change…
Gameiro and Ajorque come off and are replaced by Waris and Diallo respectively.
Ajorque gave the two incoming players a short pep talk before coming on
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
75 PSG still hold possession but are struggling to create the same danger as they did in the first half.
Got to wonder how tired Strasbourg’s leg are at the minute…
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
72 We seem to have missed an earlier substitution by Strasbourg.
Manager Stephan replaced Fila with Caci
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-2 STRASBOURG
70 SUBSTITUTION
PSG manager Pochettino shakes things up with Sarabia replacing Draxler
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