Messi and Neymar drove PSG’s win over Clermont, Mbappé did not play

In addition to the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League, Ligue 1 has also got underway.The top French competition kicked off on Friday with Lyon beating Ajaccio 2-1. On Saturday, after Strasbourg’s 1:2 loss to Monaco in the early evening, the defending champion and biggest favourite for the title, Paris Saint-Germain, entered the new season at 9pm.

The team led by coach Christophe Galtier played on the field of Clermont Foot, who avoided the barrage by four points last year. However, the final 17th position would not be enough to keep it this year, as the four worst teams in the 20-team table are relegated due to the reduction of the number of participants to eighteen.

The favourite for the match was clear. Moreover, the Parisian team entered the opening league round buoyed by their French Super Cup win on the last day of July, when they beat Nantes 4-0.

This time, too, PSG were missing Kylian Mbappé. In the fight for the precious trophy it was due to a card penalty, during the match in Clermont-Ferrand due to a muscle injury. Thus, in the attacking line, Pablo Sarabia started again alongside Messi and Neymar.

The first goal was scored in the ninth minute by one of the offensive stars of the Parisian club. The ball reached Neymar in the penalty area and he beat goalkeeper Mory Diaw with a shot to the left post.

In the 26th minute, the Parisians mounted a successful quick attack. Neymar also contributed to the 2:0 increase by passing to Achraf Hakimi, whose shot at the near post was not cleared off the line by Diaw.

The 30-year-old Brazilian managed to record one more assist before the end of the half. In the 39th minute, compatriot Marquinhos ran onto Neymar’s cross from a standard situation and made no mistake with his header.

In the second half, the football giant from the French capital made the most of its dominance in the game and in shooting, albeit not completely overwhelming, and scored another goal ten minutes before the end of the game. After several missed chances from the previous game, Lionel Messi scored thanks to a good interplay with Neymar in the penalty area.

In the 86th minute, the best moment of the match came. Messi received a long pass from Paredes into the penalty area, where the legendary Argentine, with his back to goal, took the ball with his chest and then directed it into the net with a quick overhead kick.

Clermont thus lost 0:5 at home to PSG, with Messi contributing two goals and one assist to the high score of the favoured team. Neymar was also the star of the match, adding three assists to his one goal. Hakimi and Marquinhos joined them with their goals.

The opening round of Ligue 1 continues on Sunday with seven games remaining. Next Saturday, PSG host Montpellier, while Clermont will try to get their first points in the table a day later in an away game against Stade Reims.

Source: Ligue 1