Mbappe on target as PSG win without Messi-Neymar

Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria were both among the scorers as a Paris Saint-Germain side missing both Lionel Messi and Neymar won 4-2 away at Brest on Friday to make it three wins out of three this season in Ligue 1.

Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gana Gueye also found the net as PSG moved ominously on to nine points from a possible nine and clear at the top of the fledgling French table with a second consecutive 4-2 victory.

The full house of 15,000 in Brittany were denied the chance to see Messi make his PSG debut after the Argentine was left out of the squad as he continues to build up his fitness.

Neymar, who like Messi returned to training late after going all the way to the final of the Copa America last month, was also left out but PSG once again showed that they have little trouble finding the net and winning without the two superstars.

However, once again their defending left a lot to be desired and will have given coach Mauricio Pochettino food for thought with a number of players still waiting on the sidelines.

“I prefer to win, but if I could choose a result I would prefer to win without conceding a goal,” Pochettino said.

“We have lots of star names but we need to build a team, that is the challenge. It won’t be easy because we need to find a balance among all the players we have. It will take time,” he added.

PSG went ahead midway through the first half when Mbappe’s clipped cross was cleared out to the edge of the area where Herrera met the ball on the volley and the Spaniard’s shot found the bottom corner. Mbappe made it 2-0 in the 36th minute, arriving to head in his first goal of the season after Georginio Wijnaldum’s shot had been blocked.

Brest got one back but Gueye appeared to put the game to bed when he made it 3-1. Yet Brest pulled another one back five minutes from time through Steve Mounie and PSG were actually in danger of conceding an equaliser until the 90th minute when Di Maria broke downfield and played a one-two with Achraf Hakimi before scoring with a delightful lob to make it 4-2.