Paris Saint-Germain earn a fifth successive win in all competitions and temporarily move to the top of the table following a dominent 3-0 win over Montpellier at the Parc des Princes to open the weekend’s Ligue 1 action.
It only took ten minutes for the hosts to take the lead, thanks to some good combination play down the right which gave the chance to Achraf Hakimi to play a low cross into the box. Following a fake dummy from Kylian Mbappé, the ball was met by Kang-In Lee with a lovely curled finish past Lecomte.
The rest of the first half saw Montpellier try and grow into the game, with Fayed causing some trouble in the box for Marquinhos and Skriniar, mostly as the product of a swift counter attack. Yet it was PSG who held the dominance, for the rest of the half, as Montpellier struggled to get their main goalscorer Akor Adams into the game. Ousmane Dembélé’s pace was useful for PSG, but the former Barcelona man couldn’t find the final ball or finish to match.
Following the break, PSG continued to dominate the ball (more so than the first half). It was last weekend’s goalscorer Warren Zaïre-Emery who was close again, his scuffed shot on goal not living up to the mazy run leading up to it. The youngster made no mistake when got a second chance to double the lead for the French champions. Kolo Muani flicked the ball into the path of the 17-year-old, who unleashed a powerful finish from close range. PSG would then increase their lead over the Hérault side ten minutes later, with Vitinha getting on the scoresheet with a low-driven finish past Lecomte to put the game to bed.
Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings:
Donnarumma, 5
Hakimi, 6
Mukiele, 6
Ugarte, 6
Lee Kang-in, 7 – After scoring in the Champions League at home against AC Milan, the South Korean got off to an ideal start at home against Montpellier with a memorable curled finish past Lecomte. It set the tone for a professional PSG performance, with Kang-In Lee linking up well with Kylian Mbappé down the left side, and dazzling with some flicks and tricks – no wonder the PSG faithful are starting to take a liking to him.
Zaïre-Emery, 7 – France’s future is making the difference in the present for PSG. The 17-year-old is now adding goals to his inexorable rise in Red and Blue. After scoring last week with a rocket of a strike against Brest, Zaïre-Emery finished from close range to double PSG’s lead at a vital juncture of the clash. Maturity, calmness on the ball, and some great attacking positioning saw the France U21 international cap-off another solid evening, coming off to the biggest round of applause of the evening.
Mbappé, 6
Dembélé, 5
Kolo Muani, 4
Others: Vitinha, 7, Soler, 5
Montpellier Player Ratings
Lecomte, 4
Sylla, 5
Kouyate, 4
Estève, 4
Sacko, 5
Ferri. 5
Chotard, 5
Savanier, 5
Al-Tamari, 5
Fayed, 6
Adams, 4 – The Nigerian attacker had an off-day at the Parc des Princes. His touch was heavy, and the service into him wasn’t quality enough for Adams to get into the goalscoring positions he is used to. Whilst he displayed some excellent shows of strength to hold up the ball and act as a focal point in possession, he was given very little to work off in terms of shots on goal and opportunities to score.
GFFN | George Boxall
