Paris Saint-Germain beat Montpellier 3-0 to climb provisionally to the top of France’s Ligue 1 on Friday, with Ousmane Dembele providing much of the ammunition. Luis Enrique’s new-look PSG was clicking into gear, and the former Barcelona boss was unsurprisingly in charge of the home game at the Parc des Princes.
Lee Kang-in opened the scoring with a neat left-foot shot into the top corner on 10 minutes as the hosts quickly made their mark. 17-year-old prospect Warren Zaire-Emery doubled the tally eight minutes later from close range after an excellent back-heel from Kylian Mbappe and substitute Vitinha rounded things off in a dominant win.
The result sees PSG go two points clear of Nice at the top with a match in hand on the southerners. The reigning champions are also in a strong position ahead of their Champions League visit to Milan on Tuesday.
Ahead of that tie, the French outfit is looking to reclaim some of the credibility stripped from them over the last six seasons. Despite having one of the best young talent pools in the world, they have neglected mainly their academy graduates in favor of high-profile Galactico signings, and fans have mocked their limp exits from Europe’s premier club competition.
But with the return of Mbappe and the emergence of young players like Dembele, Zaire-Emery, and Vitinha, the Parc des Princes faithful now have some cause for optimism. And, for the first time in 13 years, the Qatari owners of the Paris giants have a manager who can help bring them back to the summit of European football.
Despite the positive vibes, PSG remains a long way from full fitness, with Neymar still not entirely up to speed following his injury lay-off. But the Brazil forward will hope to build on his encouraging display against Montpellier and reclaim his starting place in next week’s clash with AC Milan.
Neymar was denied a chance by Marseille goalkeeper Marquinhos in the fourth minute after making a superb run into the box, but the Brazil international did not look dejected. He could not quite find the net from a similar position on the edge of the area in the second half and was frustrated by another fine save from Lopes as he teed up team-mate Mbappe for a strike that was ruled offside.
Mbappe was taken off in the 73rd minute as he appeared to tire, but he could not have been more eager for his comeback as he played with vigor and imagination. And he was close to breaking down the door in stoppage time when he nodded a volley in, only for it to be ruled offside. Matteo Guendouzi’s late header gave Marseille a deserved consolation.
