MY ACCOUNT
Neymar scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain made it consecutive wins to start the Ligue 1 season with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Montpellier at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.
The champions started their title defence with a 5-0 win against Clermont last weekend in Christophe Galtier’s first league game in charge, and they followed that up with a ninth success in their past 10 league games against Montpellier, despite a penalty miss from Kylian Mbappe midway through the first half.
The France international made amends soon after when his cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko, before Neymar doubled the hosts’ advantage from a second penalty of the game.
Neymar and Mbappe scored either side of Wahbi Khazri’s goal for the visitors, while there were late efforts from debutant Renato Sanches and Montpellier’s Enzo Tchato Mbiayi.
PSG squandered a golden chance to take a 23rd-minute lead as Jonas Omlin pawed away Mbappe’s penalty after Jordan Ferri had handled in the area.
Omlin twice denied Lionel Messi soon after, but he was beaten six minutes before the interval when Sacko diverted Mbappe’s low cross into his own net.
Neymar made it 2-0 four minutes later with a cool spot-kick following another handball in the area, this time from the hapless Sacko.
A second arrived for Neymar in the 51st minute, the Brazil international sneaking in ahead of Omlin to head home Achraf Hakimi’s deflected cross.
Montpellier pulled one back seven minutes later when Khazri slotted in after Gianluigi Donnarumma had pushed Sepe Elye Wahi’s effort into his path.
Mbappe opened his account for the season with an instinctive effort at the back post, before Sanches, who joined from Lille earlier this month, bundled into the net a minute after coming off the bench.
Tchato rifled past Donnarumma with almost the last kick of the game, but it scarcely mattered to a PSG side who look in fine shape.
What does it mean? PSG untouchable on home turf
A routine win means PSG now have the joint-longest unbeaten run at home across the big five European leagues (level with Liverpool on 23).
They have not been on a longer such run at home in Ligue 1 since April 2016-April 2018, when they went a record 41 games without defeat.
Spot on from Neymar
Neymar might find himself on penalty duties for the foreseeable future after showing Mbappe how it is done from 12 yards. The Brazilian has now scored 22 goals from the penalty spot (from 25 attempts) in Ligue 1 since joining PSG ahead of the 2017-18 season – more than any other player in this period.
Slapstick Sacko
Sacko endured a dismal four minutes shortly before the interval, with the defender scoring an own goal and conceding a penalty to put the game out of his side’s reach. A day to forget for the Mali international.
Key Opta Facts
– Paris Saint-Germain are the first side to score five or more goals in their first two games of a Ligue 1 season since Reims in 1961-62.
– PSG have scored more goals against Montpellier than any other side in Ligue 1 in the 21st century (69). PSG have also scored two or more goals in each of their past 10 meetings with Montpellier, equalling their longest run of that kind (also 10 against Caen, twice, and Nantes).
– PSG had 54 touches in their opponents’ box, a tally never reached in Ligue 1 2021-22.
– Montpellier lost a 14th league game in 2022 (W4 D3). Only Everton (15) have lost more among all current Top 5 European Leagues sides.
What’s next?
Both sides are in Ligue 1 action next Sunday, with PSG visiting Lille and Montpellier hosting Auxerre.
