Brest 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain: Kylian Mbappe gets his first goal of the season, Idrissa Gueye scores from 40 yards and Angel Di Maria produces a late lob as the visitors extend their 100% record to move top of Ligue 1
- Ander Herrera's half-volley and Kylian Mbappe's header puts PSG 2-0 up
- Brest then scored just before the break after a clever assist by Romain Faivre
- Idrissa Gueye then let fly from 40 yards to restore the visitors' two-goal lead
- Steve Mounie then got the home fans fired up again with a strike on 85 minutes
- However, Angel Di Maria had the final say with a clever lob after a counterattack
Kylian Mbappe netted with a superb header to help Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-2 win at Brest on Friday which lifted them to the top of Ligue 1 with a maximum nine points from three games.
Ander Herrera fired PSG ahead with a 23rd-minute volley before Mbappe made it 2-0 when he powered his effort past home goaleeper Marco Bizot from 10 metres after latching on to a rebound from Georginio Wijnaldum's shot.
Franck Honorat pulled one back for the home side with a crisp finish in the 42nd minute after a slick move, with Steve Mounie holding up the ball well to set up Romain Faivre who released Honorat with a clever backheel.
Kylian Mbappe made it 2-0 to get off the mark this season with a clever header on 36 minutes
Angel Di Maria came on for Mbappe late on to score PSG's fourth goal with a clever lob
Ander Herrera put the title favourites ahead with a half-volley that trickled in off a post
The pace dropped after the break before midfielder Idrissa Gueye restored PSG's two-goal advantage in the 73rd minute with a rasping shot from 35 metres which beat Bizot inside the near post, although the keeper should have done better.
Brest missed a pair of chances as visiting keeper Kaylor Navas parried a Ronael Pierre-Gabriel shot and Honorat rattled the woodwork with the rebound.
The visiting defence continued to look shaky and Mounie set up a tense finish when he reduced the arrears in the 85th minute as he drilled in his shot under Navas after another fine assist from Faivre.
PSG were forced to hang on in the closing stages before substitute Angel Di Maria sealed their win on the cusp of stoppage time with a sublime lob from the edge of the penalty area as the visitors broke away after a Brest corner.
Brest halved the deficit just before the break after an ingenious assist by Romain Faivre
Idrissa Gueye couldn't believe his luck after his 40-yard strike snuck past Marco Bizot
PSG's unconvincing display left boss Mauricio Pochettino with much to ponder in Brittany
It was a second successive win for PSG without their new signing Lionel Messi, who is yet to feature for the French giants after joining them from Barcelona earlier this month.
Messi was presented to PSG fans before last Saturday's 4-2 home win over Strasbourg but was not in the squad either for that fixture or the win at Brest, having taken a month off after steering Argentina to the Copa America title in July.
On Saturday, Monaco are at home to Lens while champions Lille, who have taken one point from their opening two games, visit St Etienne.
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After four minutes of stoppage time, that is that. The score was 2-1 in both halves and Mauricio Pochettino will be reflecting on some familiar failings.
Brest had far too many opportunities to get back into the contest, which should have been over when Kylian Mbappe got the visitors' second on 36 minutes.
The 22-year-old future Ballon d'Or is off the mark in Ligue 1 after drawing a blank in the opening two games, although PSG have Marco Bizot to thank after Brest's Dutch goalkeeper made errors for goals by Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye, with Angel Di Maria coming on at the end to put the game to bed late on.
Pochettino's men are now top of Ligue 1 with three wins from three, but Angers and Clermont can climb above the French giants with wins away at Bordeaux and Lyon respectively.
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That is classy. Angel Di Maria is found in space on the edge of the box following a swift PSG goalkeeper, with the former Manchester United attacker keeping his cool to loft the ball cutely over the stranded Marco Bizot as the ball bobbles into the net.
Brest have really been banging on the door, with Franck Honorat making two breaks down the right, with Steve Mounie having a header blocked from one of those deliveries, but...
Amid the madness, Mauro Icardi went off after landing on his shoulder following a challenge in the build-up to Brest's second.
He feels he should have won a free kick, but he has now been replaced by Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Could there be a late twist in the tail?! A quick move from back to front sees Steve Mounie pick the ball up on the edge of the box in acres of space and the former Huddersfield striker makes no mistake, burying his shot past Keylor Navas.
Angel Di Maria is on for Kylian Mbappe. The 33-year-old is back in action for his club after winning the Copa America over the summer. A good night for Mbappe, who made it 2-0 with a header.
Brest should score! Franck Honorat does brilliantly down the right as he charges into the area and squares for Ronael Pierre-Gabriel, who is right in front of Keylor Navas. However, the defender hits it straight at him.
The keeper is partly at fault, but Idrissa Gueye has caught everyone out there!
After a PSG corner breaks to the Senegalese midfielder, he strides forward and lets fly from 40 yards.
Marco Bizot dives to his right and despite seemingly reaching the strike, the ball goes through him and into the bottom corner. A sickener for the Dutchman.
Julian Draxler is the first player to come on during the contest, with Marco Verratti making way.
Brest break down the left, with Keylor Navas forced into a save at close quarters, although he ultimately didn't need to, with the linesman on the far side raising his flag for offside.
Mbappe is booked for catching Franck Honorat's right foot, with a few Brest players taking exception to the 22-year-old's challenge.
There wasn't much in it and Honorat is free to continue, although only after Brest's assistant manager is booked after remonstrating with the referee.
Mbappe's corner narrowly evades Presnel Kimpembe. PSG have enjoyed 76% possession, but they are struggling to pick Brest apart.
The Stade Francis-Le Ble feels like a lower-league English ground, with the crowd packed in tightly and on the backs of the players.
The home faithful are unhappy about a free kick given in PSG's favour, but Kylian Mbappe's curling ball in as punched away by Marco Bizot.
Honorat then has another cross after being played through brilliantly down the right, but Presnel Kimpembe clears.
Goalscorer Franck Honorat's cross is gathered in by Keylor Navas. This game is finely balanced.
Lilian Brassier receives the first yellow card of the contest after clipping Mauro Icardi. Verratti's free kick is cleared before the Italian is booked for cynically blocking off Romain Faivre as the Brest dangerman looked to break.
Hakimi's cross is deflected for a corner, which is worked short. PSG eventually win another corner through Verratti, whose effort is cleared only as far as Hakimi, who wallops an effort that is travelling at some speed. Bizot impressively gathers in though.
We're back underway, with no changes on either side. Romain Faivre has a shot in the opening 20 seconds from outside the box for Brest, but the effort is blocked.
It's half time in Brittany. PSG looked to be on easy street after Ander Herrera's half-volley and Kylian Mbappe's first goal of the season.
However, Franck Honorat's strike after Romain Faivre's jaw-dropping assist has given Mauricio Pochettino's men reason to be a little nervous.
Out of nowhere, Brest have halved the deficit! Irvin Cardona is at the heart of the action again as he slips the ball through to Steve Mounie.
The former Huddersfield man holds the ball up and squares it to Romain Faivre, who pulls off an outrageous flick to find Franck Honorat free inside the area, with the Frenchman lashing home under the body of Keylor Navas. Game on!
Mbappe is off the mark this season! He clips a pass to Hakimi, who heads into the path of Wijnaldum in the box.
His shot is blocked, but Mbappe comes steaming in to steer a header into Bizot's top left-hand corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Deadly from the Frenchman.
Hakimi is fed by Georginio Wijnaldum and works his way into the box again, twisting up his marker Jere Uronen before his shot from six yards out is repelled well by Bizot.
Brest are certainly not folding after that blow, but PSG will be hard to stop now. Hakimi's one-two with Mbappe sees the Moroccan work his way into the box, but his pass is then cut out.
Mbappe then has a shot blocked behind. He takes the corner, but that is headed away.
Ander Herrera's half-volley can't be kept out by Bizot and it trickles in off the keeper's right-hand post! Mbappe's flick in the box was headed away by a home defender and despite Bizot having questions to answer, the Spaniard's 25-yard strike was impressively controlled.
PSG could have gone 1-0 up there. Brest give the ball away in their own box and Mbappe passes to Icardi, with the Argentinian taking a fresh air shot as the hosts regain their composure.
Brest have their tails up now. After one attack is thwarted, Cardona picks up the ball and attempts to put in Steve Mounie. However, the ball skids behind.
Ander Herrera blocks off Cardona, but escapes a booking. Hiang'a Mbock send the free kick well over though.
Verratti with a huge chance! Hakimi takes a short corner to Mbappe, who slips a pass through the Italian. The 29-year-old is the right-corner of the six-yard box, but blazes over Bizot's goal. Big miss!
Marco Verratti lofts a cross into Mauro Icardi, with the striker's cute header gathered in by Bizot. Brest then attack, but it comes to nothing.
PSG are monopolising possession and after another neat passage of play, centre back Thilo Kehrer strides forward and cracks a long-range effort wildly over. That will do for Brest.
Abdou Diallo threatens to break down the left, but a Brest defender smashes the ball out for a corner. Mbappe's corner is punched away by Bizot.
Irvin Cardona can't direct his cross into the box and cushions it behind. Brest's first half-chance.
Bizot denies Kylian Mbappe from close range after a slide-rule pass from Ander Herrera. Achraf Hakimi then sees his cross drift just behind - the ex-Inter Milan right back was heavily involved in the move that set up Mbappe.
PSG have dominated possession, with Marco Bizot gathering in after a deflected effort from outside the box. Easily dealt with by Brest's goalkeeper.
The game is up and running!
With kick-off moments away, here are the teams:
Brest (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Brassier, Uronen; Belkebla, Mbock; Honorat, Faivre, Cardona; Mounie. Subs: Larsonneur, Duverne, Philippoteaux, Bain, Faussurier, Le Douaron, Magnetti, Sow, Camblan.
PSG (4-3-1-2): Navas; Hakimi, Kehrer, Kimpembe, Diallo; Gueye, Verratti, Herrera; Wijnaldum; Icardi, Mbappe. Subs: Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Di Maria, Rafinha, Danilo, Draxler, Kalimuendo, Bitu Mazala, Dina Ebimbe.
Kylian Mbappe is targeting his first goal of the season, but the Frechman produced a brilliant dribble to set up PSG's final goal in the 4-2 win over Strasbourg last time out.
The 22-year-old scored on his last visit to the Stade Francis-Le Ble, netting the second in a 2-0 win on the final day of last season.
However, Mauricio Pochettino's men missed out on the title, while at the other end of the table, Brest avoided relegation by a point, with a nervy wait before the home side found out that they had survived.
Kylian Mbappe will be looking to get his first Ligue 1 goal of the season tonight
Brest (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Brassier, Uronen; Belkebla, Mbock; Honorat, Faivre, Cardona; Mounie. Subs: Larsonneur, Duverne, Philippoteaux, Bain, Faussurier, Le Douaron, Magnetti, Sow, Camblan.
You may recognise the man at the head of the hosts' attack. Steve Mounie joined Huddersfield in 2017 from Montpellier and helped the Terriers stay in the Premier League during his first season before they succumbed to relegation the year after.
In total, he scored 19 goals in 95 games before returning to France last summer, finishing the 2020-21 campaign as Brest's top scorer with nine goals in the league and 10 in all competitions. One to keep an eye on.
PSG (4-3-1-2): Navas; Hakimi, Kehrer, Kimpembe, Diallo; Gueye, Verratti, Herrera; Wijnaldum; Icardi, Mbappe. Subs: Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Di Maria, Rafinha, Danilo, Draxler, Kalimuendo, Bitu Mazala, Dina Ebimbe.
Marco Verratti will start for the first time this season after his Euro 2020-winning exploits, while his compatriot and new signing Gianluigi Donnarumma appears in his first PSG squad, with Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos also returning to the bench following the Copa America.
Lionel Messi is not ready to make his debut for the club after his sensational move earlier this month, while AS have reportedly both Sergio Ramos and Neymar are expected to begin their domestic campaigns after the September international break, which begins in less than a fortnight.
The two has two changes: Youngster Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe and Julian Draxler are out, Verratti and Idrissa Gueye are in.
...to Sportsmail's coverage of the Ligue 1 match between Brest and Paris Saint-Germain. Team news coming soon.
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