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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Clermont Foot 5-0 in the Ligue 1 opening game on Saturday, August 6.
PSG started their season away from home without Kylian Mbappe, their primary striker. The club also oversaw a managerial change over the summer as Christophe Galtier took over from Mauricio Pochettino. The Parisians fielded their strongest possible XI for this match.
The visitors began the game sharply and dominated possession in the early stages of the game. Neymar Jr. gave his side a much-needed early lead as he slotted home to make it 1-0 after just nine minutes. Lionel Messi produced a moment of pure genius and bagged an assist for the goal.
The Brazilian was involved in a come-together with his opponent midway through the first half which fired him up. Shortly after, he started the move that made it 2-0 to PSG, providing an assist for Achraf Hakimi's goal on the counter-attack.
Clermont Foot seemed hapless as PSG continued to carve out openings to score. The visitors added a third goal after 38 minutes, with Neymar racking up his second assist, setting up Marquinhos. They went into the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The Parisians came out for the second half with a much lesser intent and energy to their style of play. They looked content to move the ball around and retain possession as they saw out the remaining time.
Galtier made the changes liberally as he tried to give minutes to all his new signings. With their introduction, PSG's playing style slowed down and they did not create clear-cut chances.
Neymar continued in his rich vein of form carried over from pre-season as he provided his third assist of the night. He played the ball to Lionel Messi to score his first of the night to make it 4-0 after 80 minutes.
Messi then found himself in a key area inside the 18-yard box, where he received the ball from Leandro Paredes. He chested the ball and converted with a stunning overhead kick to make it 5-0 to PSG after 86 minutes. While it was not the cleanest of hits, it did the job comfortably.
PSG secured all three points with ease, handing their new manager his first league win in charge. Having said that, let's take a look at how each player performed.
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7/10
Donnarumma had a relatively quiet night in goal as he was seldom tested. He made just one save throughout the game, but passed the ball with 96% accuracy.
Sergio Ramos - 7/10
Ramos had an eventful start to the game, nearly giving away a penalty at one end before almost scoring to make it 3-0 on the other. In 67 minutes of gameplay, he won four of his seven duels and played six accurate long balls. Ramos also made one clearance and blocked one shot.
Marquinhos - 8/10
Marquinhos continued to show why he is considered among the world's best in his position. He gave two accurate long balls and maintained an excellent 90% passing accuracy along with blocking one shot and making one successful tackle. He also scored a goal to make it 3-0 for PSG.
Presnel Kimpembe - 7/10
Kimpembe made a typically aggressive start to the game and was the enforcer for PSG at the back. He had a decent game overall.
Achraf Hakimi - 8/10
Hakimi looked lively on the pitch as he made a darting run forward to latch on to Neymar's pass to make it 2-0. He provided two key passes, two accurate crosses, and had 96% passing accuracy. He also won two of his four ground duels.
Vitinha - 6.5/10
Vitinha looked determined and eager to make an impact on his competitive debut. He was a bit overcommitted in his tackles due to his enthusiasm, which led to silly fouls. He passed the ball with 91% accuracy, including one accurate long ball. He also won four of his 11 ground duels and was booked in 67 minutes on the pitch.
Marco Verratti - 7/10
It was a landmark game for Marco Verratti, who made his 380th appearance for the club and is now tied for second place on the all-time list. He passed the ball with 93% accuracy and won nine of his 14 ground duels, whilst completing three successful dribbles.
Nuno Mendes - 7/10
Mendes made a decent start on the left flank for PSG as they tried to create one chance after another. He had two shots on target without testing the goalkeeper sufficiently. He also won three of his 11 duels and completed one dribble.
Pablo Sarabia - 6.5/10
Sarabia made a slow start to the game as he struggled to get involved in his team's moves. He played nearly 80 minutes but only had 32 touches in a poor display.
Lionel Messi - 10/10
Messi provided the assist for his side's first goal with a world-class pass. He also scored two goals, which included a brilliant overhead kick. Messi also played three successful crosses and long passes, and won eight of his 11 duels.
Neymar - 10/10
He looked sharp from the start and scored an early goal to put PSG ahead 1-0. Soon after, he scored to double their lead and then provided yet another assist for Marquinhos to score from. He ended the night with three assists and one goal.
Neymar also played four crosses and one long ball with 100% accuracy. Additionally, he won six of his nine ground duels.
Substitutes
Nordi Mukiele - 6.5/10
Mukiele came on to replace Sergio Ramos in the second half. He passed the ball with 87% accuracy and put in a decent shift.
Leandro Paredes - 7.5/10
Paredes came on to replace Vitinha in the second half. He made an instant impact as he provided the assist for Messi's second goal. He passed the ball with a stunning 97% accuracy, including three accurate long balls.
Hugo Ekitike - 6/10
Ekitike came on in the second half to replace Pablo Sarabia and had an average outing.
Juan Bernat - 6/10
Bernat replaced Nuno Mendes and had a strictly-average outing.
Warren Zaire-Emery - N/A
He arrived as a late-game substitute and did not do enough to warrant a rating.
