Brest 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain
Even without some of their stars, PSG were too much for Brest as they came away with another win to kick off their 2021/22 campaign.
Lionel Messi, who made his historic move from Barcelona to Paris, had SBOTOP football fans waiting for his Ligue 1 bow since he has already trained with his new club. However, the team decided to move his debut in their next match against Reims.
Four men scored for the Parisiens in this game. Ander Herrera and Kylian Mbappe kickstarted the scoring binge to give themselves the lead in the first half, then Idrissa Gueye and Angel Di Maria effectively sealed the three points late.
Brest, on the other hand, got two goals from forwards Franck Honorat and Steve Mounie in the losing effort.
After last night, PSG have remained the title favourites in the Ligue 1 2021 odds since they sit on top of the standings while Brest fell down to 12th.
There are so many Ligue 1 2021 highlights to choose from in this fixture. So today, let’s take a look at them one by one.
Highlights of the game
This match stated the obvious that transferring to PSG was the best move Lionel Messi could make after his fallout with Barcelona.
PSG are obviously oozing in quality and that showed when they dictated tempo early in the first half.
Marco Bizot was in for a long night and he was tested near the four-minute mark when he deflected Kylian Mbappe’s low shot after a nifty through-ball from Ander Herrera.
Nine minutes later, it was Marco Verratti’s turn as he was eager to assert himself and he got his share of chances.
At the 13th minute, the Italian midfielder tried to head the ball home but it was saved by Bizot. Two minutes later, Verratti was left unmarked at the near post but his chip shot went wayward.
PSG pressured the hosts more which led to their first goal of the evening at the 23rd minute when Marco Bizot mishandled Ander Herrera’s low shot.
It should’ve been two for the Parisiens at the 32nd minute when Achraf Hakimi was facing Marco Bizot at goal after a pass from Gini Wijnaldum, but the full-back’s curler was snuffed out.
But eventually, they would take control in the 36th minute as Kylian Mbappe headed the ball in Brest’s goal after a dinked volley by Gini Wijnaldum.
Right before the halftime break, Brest halved their deficit when Franck Honorat scored after a brilliant one-two sequence from Steve Mounie and Romain Faivre.
Momentum was slowly shifting in favour of Brest and they almost levelled the game at the 68th minute when Irvin Cardona pushed forward after Jere Uronen’s ball, but Keylor Navas thwarted their attempt.
Brest were left to rue their missed opportunities especially when Idrissa Gueye put the Parisiens up 3-1 when he scored from 40 yards at the 73rd minute.
The Pirates were determined to not go down without a fight when Steve Mounie nutmegged Keylor Navas for their second goal.
However, Angel Di Maria put the game beyond doubt when he lobbed the ball over Marco Bizot at the 90th minute for PSG’s fourth score.
Key statistics
For the first time in three years, PSG have registered nine points after the first three games of their campaign. The last time that they did this feat, the Parisiens won another Ligue 1 trophy at the end of the season.
This is their second consecutive 4-2 win against a Ligue 1 opponent, although their defence remains a concern since they’ve yet to secure a clean sheet this term.
PSG’s goal has been breached five times already, but their 10 goals was good enough to compensate.
Brest, meanwhile, haven’t won any of their first three games of a Ligue 1 campaign (D2, L1) for the first time since the 2011/12 season (D3).
Kylian Mbappe has been the driving force for PSG in Ligue 1 since he has notched either an assist or a goal in their last eight domestic games. In that span, the 22-year-old wunderkind had eight goals and three assists.
What’s next?
PSG have three more points over Angers and Clermont. But the two aforementioned teams have a game in hand and they’ll play their own third game of the season on Sunday against Bordeaux and Lyon respectively.
The Parisiens will face Reims on August 29 to where Lionel Messi should make his starting debut alongside Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Brest, meanwhile, pay a visit to Strasbourg – who are currently at the bottom having lost two fixtures in a row already.
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