Kylian Mbappe and Neymar starred as Paris Saint-Germain got back to winning ways against Toulouse on Wednesday.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain put their draw against AS Monaco behind them by getting back to winning ways against Toulouse.
Christophe Galtier’s side got off to a quick start and immediately laid siege to the home side’s goal. Toulouse goalkeeper Maxime Dupe was a force to be reckoned with on the night and made several stellar stops to keep the Parisiens at bay.
However, there is only so much one can do to keep PSG’s world class attacking lineup quiet. It was long coming when Neymar broke the deadlock in the 37th minute. This gave Galtier’s side breathing space going into the break.
Kylian Mbappe, who struggled against AS Monaco, doubled PSG’s lead in the 50th minute. Substitute Juan Bernat added further gloss to the scoreline with a third in the 90th minute.
14 – Three teams have scored 14+ goals after five games in Ligue 1 this season (Paris, Lens and Montpellier), a first since 1971/72 (St Etienne, Nîmes and Nantes). Festival. pic.twitter.com/2vSOFsL7Qr
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) August 31, 2022
The visitors were the better side on the night and could have put their opponents to the sword had it not been for Dupe. Had the Toulouse shot stopper not turned up, the scoreline could have found a place at Roland Garros. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the PSG players fared in the convincing win.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: 6/10
The Italian shot stopper did not have an easy night as Toulouse tried to match PSG in the early stages. He had to be alert and was largely dependable when called upon. Donnarumma kept things simple and secured a much needed clean sheet on the night.
Sergio Ramos: 6/10
The Spaniard’s loss of pace saw him get troubled by the Toulouse attackers on a couple of occasions. Ramos did his part to avoid any complications and also passed out from the back when necessary.
Vuelta a la victoria y a la portería a cero.
Back to winning ways and a clean sheet.
Retour à la victoire et sans but encaissé. #AllezParis pic.twitter.com/COZVyEk2tt— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) August 31, 2022
Marquinhos: 6/10
The Brazilian defender put the nightmare against AS Monaco behind him and showed better intelligence and organisational skills on the night. While there were a few nervy moments, Marquinhos dealt with them swiftly and decisively.
Danilo Pereira: 6/10
Danilo came in for the injured Presnel Kimpembe and held his own. While there is still some way to go before he is at the Frenchman’s level, Pereira gave a decent account of himself.
Nordi Mukiele: 6/10
The summer signing replaced Achraf Hakimi in the first XI, giving the Moroccan international a much needed rest. The former RB Leipzig man lacked Hakimi’s dynamism going forward but made himself seen on the wing and did an efficient job holding the line.
Vitinha: 6/10
The Portuguese midfielder’s return brought about stability in the PSG midfield as he rekindled the excellent partnership he has forged with Marco Verratti. Vitinha was always available for a pass and was not afraid to stick his foot in when needed. His return played a key role in the visitors seizing control of the midfield.
Marco Verratti: 8/10
Another solid performance from the Italian, who made a telling difference in the middle of the park for the champions. Verratti was initially handed a challenge as Toulouse met PSG head on but gradually gained control of the midfield from the half hour mark. Verratti made several excellent passes that prised open the Toulouse defence and left them high and dry.
MARCO VERRATTI
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— ??? ?’??? ????? ❤️?? (@Koubi95) August 31, 2022
Nuno Mendes: 6/10
The youngster ran up and down the pitch but lacked the cutting edge to deliver the end product. While he shows good awareness and can get into dangerous positions, it matters for little unless it makes a telling difference in the scoreline.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
Messi tested Dupe early and was denied twice by the Toulouse goalkeeper. He linked up well with Neymar and Mbappe and used his passing ability to great effect. Messi provided the assists for PSG’s first two goals of the night before being taken off in the second half.
Neymar: 8/10
The Brazilian has been simply irresistible this season, and little changed on Wednesday night. Neymar was clinical in opening the scoring on the night and proved to be a constant thorn for the Toulouse defence all game.
10 – Neymar has scored in his last 10 appearances in all competitions (3 goals for Brazil and 11 for PSG). It's the longest scoring run in his career. Fire. pic.twitter.com/DtWeSaDDFb
— OptaJoao (@OptaJoao) August 31, 2022
Kylian Mbappe: 7/10
The Frenchman made use of his movement and pace to get into several good positions. Wastefulness and some solid defending from the Toulouse backline limited him to just one goal. It was a markedly improved performance from his frustrating night out against AS Monaco at the weekend.
SUBSTITUTES
Renato Sanches: 5/10
The summer signing endured a rather uninspiring full debut at the weekend and made way for Vitinha in the first XI. Sanches came on in the second half with the game already settled and kept things simple.
Hugo Ekitike: 6/10
It was a promising cameo by the youngster who could have had his name on the scoresheet if not for Dupe.
Juan Bernat: 6/10
The Spaniard came on in the 83rd minute for Lionel Messi. While he did not have much to do, scoring PSG’s third has helped him get his rating bumped up.
Achraf Hakimi: N/A
Hakimi was handed a proper rest on the night and came on for a cameo appearance in the 83rd minute. There was little for him to do with the match already decided.
Warren Zaire-Emery: N/A
A stoppage time replacement for Vitinha, he had little to no time to make an impact.
