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Hoping to return to winning ways, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) traveled to newly promoted Toulouse for their Ligue 1 matchday five fixture on Wednesday night (August 31). The visitors, who were held to a 1-1 draw by AS Monaco in their last outing, thoroughly dominated proceedings at Toulouse and came away with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Juan Bernat were on the scoresheet for Christophe Galtier’s side on Wednesday.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and could have been in front after just two minutes of play. Amid a chaotic scramble, Lionel Messi and Mbappe tried to get their shots away from inside the Toulouse box, but their efforts were ultimately blocked by the determined hosts. Seven minutes later, Messi went for goal with a side-footed effort, but his shot lacked the power to beat the keeper.
Having knocked on the hosts’ door for a while, PSG finally got their noses in front in the 37th minute, with Neymar coolly slotting it home from close range. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR check overturned the linesman’s call.
Five minutes into the second half, Mbappe got the goal he was looking for. The Frenchman found the back of the net with a fierce strike from the middle of the Toulouse box. Neymar had an opportunity to triple PSG’s lead in the 52nd minute, but his attempt towards the near post fizzed just wide of the mark.
Ten minutes later, central midfielder Vitinha dispatched a brilliant curler from range, but Toulouse keeper Maxime Dupe rose up to the challenge and parried it away.
PSG scored their final goal of the match in the 90th minute, with Bernat slotting in Mbappe’s deflected (via Dupe) rebound. The Spaniard’s strike sealed a 3-0 win for PSG on the night and allowed them to remain atop the Ligue 1 table. Had it not been for Dupe, who made a whopping nine saves, Paris could have walked away with a considerably bigger scoreline.
Here are five PSG stars who stood out in their comfortable win over Toulouse on Monday:
#5 Gianluigi Donnarumma
PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma picked up his second clean sheet of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign (in 5 games played) on Wednesday night. Truth be told, he was rarely required to make difficult saves. However, he must be commended for showing his authority inside the box and doing the basics right.
The Italian made seven saves on Wednesday, with four of them coming from inside the box. He also had two high claims, attained 81.5% passing accuracy (22 accurate passes), delivered two accurate long balls, and made a clearance.
#4 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe tormented the hosts with his bubbling presence on Wednesday night. He was lightning quick, was always on the lookout for opportunities, and got on the scoresheet with a confident strike in the 50th minute.
Mbappe could have possibly done better in the 74th minute when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper. But with Dupe rapidly rushing off his line, it was far from an easy chance for the Frenchman. He also hit the woodwork in the 90th minute, which led to Bernat’s fierce strike.
Against Toulouse, Mbappe also made three key passes, completed a dribble, and drew a foul.
#3 Neymar
PSG sensation Neymar extended his blistering start to the season with an impressive performance against Toulouse. The Brazil international opened the scoring for the Parisians in the first half, cleverly beating the offside trap and slotting the ball past Dupe. He also created chances for his teammates and kept the defenders guessing with his movement.
In addition to the goal, the former Barcelona man played three key passes, completed two dribbles, and drew a foul against Toulouse. The current Ligue 1 top scorer (7 goals in 5 matches) could have easily doubled his tally when Messi played him through in the 52nd minute. Unfortunately, his finishing let him down on that occasion.
#2 Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti was at the top of his game against Toulouse. He passed the ball around with ease, always looked for forward runs, won most of his battles, and was never afraid to put in a tackle. It was down to the Italian’s brilliance that PSG thoroughly dominated proceedings in the middle of the park.
Against Toulouse, Verratti played a key pass, won eight of 11 ground duels, accurately delivered three long balls, and made seven tackles, with all of them being successful.
#1 Lionel Messi
PSG no. 30 Lionel Messi was the star of the show on Wednesday night. His runs were spot on, he combined effortlessly with teammates, lodged five shots on target, including an excellent 49th-minute free kick, and created two goals.
In the 37th minute, he played Neymar through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass. The Brazilian confidently applied the finishing touch. Five minutes into the second 45, Messi barged into the box from the left and shielded the ball from defenders, before clinically finding Mbappe in the center of the box. The France international dispatched a thunderous drive to beat Dupe.
Messi also played four key passes, completed three dribbles, accurately delivered three long balls, and drew two fouls at Stadium TFC on Wednesday.
