PARIS, Jan 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Neymar made his 100th appearance for Paris
Saint-Germain on Friday and marked the occasion with a goal in a 4-0 rout of
10-man Montpellier that took Mauricio Pochettino’s side clear at the top of
Ligue 1.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Mauro Icardi was also on target with PSG
leading 1-0 before netting three times in the space of four minutes around
the hour mark.
The game, played behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes, was
conditioned by the early sending-off of Montpellier goalkeeper Jonas Omlin
for a foul on Mbappe, as PSG made the most of their extra man. It was their
fourth straight win since drawing at Saint-Etienne in Pochettino’s first
match in charge after the Argentine was appointed as coach on January 2.
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss was back on the Paris bench having spent
a week self-isolating following a positive Covid-19 test that forced him to
miss his new team’s 1-0 win at Angers last weekend.
“I feel good. I am happy to be back,” he said.
PSG are now three points clear of second-placed Lille, who go to in-form
Rennes on Sunday. Lyon in third are five points behind the leaders before
visiting derby rivals Saint-Etienne, who will be without seven players
because of a coronavirus outbreak.
The capital club’s rivals may have their work cut out trying to overtake
the reigning champions on this evidence, with the attacking quartet of
Neymar, Mbappe, Icardi and Angel Di Maria running riot.
Neymar’s goal took his tally to 81 in 100 appearances for PSG since his
world-record 222 million-euro ($264m) move from Barcelona in August 2017.
His time in Paris has been marred by injuries at important moments but
there can be no disputing his impressive record in front of goal as he
prepares to face his old club in the last 16 of the Champions League next
month.
– Mbappe back in form –
Mbappe was more prominent in this game, however, as he scored his first
goals of the Pochettino era.
Pochettino said: “I was already happy with Mbappe’s performances before
tonight. I am pleased that he scored because scoring goals is crucial for a
striker’s confidence. But we knew it was only a matter of time.”
The France World Cup-winning star was scythed down just outside the box by
Omlin in the 16th minute, with the Swiss goalkeeper initially shown a yellow
card before the punishment was upgraded to red following a VAR review.
PSG made the extra man count as Di Maria played in Mbappe to open the
scoring with a dinked finish over substitute goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud in
the 34th minute.
Pochettino lost goalkeeper Keylor Navas to injury at half-time, while
captain Marquinhos was also forced off early in the second half. The coach
later said he thought it was “nothing serious” for either player.
Mbappe cut the ball back for Neymar to make it 2-0 on the hour mark,
before Icardi tucked in his third goal in four games.
It was 4-0 in the 63rd minute when Icardi set up Ligue 1’s leading scorer
Mbappe to finish for his second of the night and 14th of the season.
Layvin Kurzawa almost provided the cherry on top of the cake soon after,
but his stunning overhead kick was tipped onto the crossbar by Bertaud.