August 07, (THEWILL) – Despite Kylian Mbappe’s absence, Paris Saint-Germain started their Ligue 1 championship defence in inspiring manner on Saturday, with a 5-0 thumping of Clermont Foot, thanks to a late double from Lionel Messi and a Neymar masterclass.
The Argentinian, who appears to be enjoying a burst of form, scored twice, one of which was an incredible bicycle kick. After Neymar, Achraf Hakimi, and Marquinhos gave the champs a commanding early lead at Stade Gabriel-Montpied. Neymar provided no fewer than three of the assists for these goals.
Following last weekend’s Trophee des Champions victory over Nantes, new coach, Christophe Galtier, now has two victories under his belt since taking over at the Parc des Princes and he looks to have unlocked a winning formula for his class of stars.
Despite the injury to their best player, Kylian Mbappe, who has yet to play in a competitive match since pledging his future to the club this summer, their fans will be very pleased with the way in which they achieved they have started playing under Galtier.
Next Saturday, PSG will host Montpellier, while Clermont Foot will play Reims the following day for their schedule of matchday two fixtures in Ligue 1.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
