Kylian Mbappe and Neymar scored late goals to give Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 win over nearest challenger Lille as the French champion extended its perfect start to the season to 12 games.
Kylian Mbappe
Paris:
The result is a boost for PSG ahead of its crucial Champions League trip to Italy to face Napoli. Mbappe was back in the PSG starting line-up after being left on the bench against Marseille last weekend. He scored the opener in the 2-0 win. PSG needed to put the off-field noise behind it, but also had to try to break down Lille. With Edinson Cavani not involved, Mbappe and Neymar were the biggest threats to Lille throughout. Neymar almost scored direct from a corner five minutes before half-time, with Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan doing well to get his body in the way of the ball and divert it onto the frame of the goal.
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, beating Maignan after Neymar’s pass was kindly deflected into his path by Jose Fonte. The Brazilian then played a one-two with Mbappe before firing home with six minutes left. Later, Lille reduced the arrears in stoppage time. Pepe converted a penalty awarded for a Thilo Kehrer handball.
Mbappe delivered at the Parc des Princes with a magnificent strike from just outside the box 20 minutes from time and Neymar then gave PSG a two-goal buffer before Nicolas Pepe pulled one back for the away side from the penalty spot. PSG extended its lead at the top to 11 points after a 12th straight league win that meant it has now beaten Tottenham Hotspur’s old record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. Spurs emerged victorious in its opening 11 matches in its 1960-61 season, a performance that had stood as a record in Europe’s big five leagues -- Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France.
The result is a boost for PSG ahead of its crucial Champions League trip to Italy to face Napoli. Mbappe was back in the PSG starting line-up after being left on the bench against Marseille last weekend. He scored the opener in the 2-0 win. PSG needed to put the off-field noise behind it, but also had to try to break down Lille. With Edinson Cavani not involved, Mbappe and Neymar were the biggest threats to Lille throughout. Neymar almost scored direct from a corner five minutes before half-time, with Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan doing well to get his body in the way of the ball and divert it onto the frame of the goal.
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, beating Maignan after Neymar’s pass was kindly deflected into his path by Jose Fonte. The Brazilian then played a one-two with Mbappe before firing home with six minutes left. Later, Lille reduced the arrears in stoppage time. Pepe converted a penalty awarded for a Thilo Kehrer handball.