Paris SG succeeded in its return to Ligue 1, Saturday, August 7, with a success with the promoted Troyes (2-1). Achraf Hakimi (19e) and Mauro Icardi (21e) struck in quick succession to allow PSG to take first place in the Championship at the end of the evening.
Revenge after a last exercise which crowned Lille, the club of the capital swore that it would not be taken back there anymore. In front of its supporters, in a stadium without a gauge that recalled pre-Covid football, smoke included, Paris kept its promise. Here it is launched, at the accounting level, pending the development of the system set up by coach Mauricio Pochettino, deprived in the Aube of many executives, including Neymar and Marco Verratti.
PSG were led by courageous Trojans (9e), and without several parades by Keylor Navas (28e, 35e, 90e, 90e+1), the match could have escaped him.
Decisive Navas
But, for those who dreamed a little too hard about the “Pulga”, it took about ten minutes to return to a less dapper reality. The opening of the Trojan score pointed out the mistakes of a private defense of his boss Marquinhos and rookie Sergio Ramos, injured in a calf. Presnel Kimpembe, propelled captain, and Thilo Kehrer share the blame on the corner which led to the victorious header of Oualid El-Hajjam.
Renaud Ripart (28e, 35e) tried to drive home the point, but he found Navas, who released the stops needed to reassure Parisians in break-in. At the end of the match, the Costa Rican was again vigilant, against Florian Tardieu (90e) and Ripart (90e+1), to earn points in the competition between him and Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma for the number one position this season.
The lack of tactical benchmarks is no excuse for a team that has talent capable of pulling it out of any situation. Paris had to win, as its coach Mauricio Pochettino repeats, and that’s what he did, thanks to his individualities. In his right lane, Hakimi was brilliant, justifying with each of his percussions the 60 million euros paid by his club to Inter Milan this summer.
Mbappé not in success
Well served by Ander Herrera, the Moroccan international equalized with a close-angle volley for his first goal in official competition with PSG. Two minutes later, Icardi signed the 2-1 (21e), on a decisive pass signed Kylian Mbappé.
But stars present, “Kyky” was the least prominent. Absent from the Champions Trophy in order to continue his physical preparation, the striker was not successful after a failed Euro with the Blues.
His best opportunity was deflected over the goal line by Jimmy Giraudon (24e). He sent a nice shot from afar, a little too high (81e). The Bondynois showed that he had not lost any of his sense of dribbling (44e, 66e), but without his accomplice Neymar, good balls were rare.