Paris Saint-Germain won by four without a response to its host
Nimes, who completed the match with ten players, including a
double by Kylian Mbappe, to take the defending champion to
the top of the Ligue 1 League before facing Manchester United
at the start of his Champions League campaign.
Mbappe opened the scoring before the break and joined
Alessandro Florenti and Pablo Sarabia in scoring three goals in
the last 12 minutes, taking Saint-Germain to 15 points from seven games.
Saint-Germain are on goal difference at the top of Stade Rennes,
who drew 1-1 with bottom-ranked Dijon.
Nim, who is 13th with eight points, played 10 men after 12
minutes after Loic Landry received a red card.
Saint-Germain lost the efforts of Leandro Paredes, who replaced
Ander Herrera, due to a thigh injury before Landry was sent off
for a violent intervention on Ravinia.
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, but Saint-
Germain missed Neymar’s creative touch after the coach rested
him after his return from national duty with Brazil.
But Nimes did not pose any danger to his opponent, and
although Saint-Germain missed Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria’s
efforts to stop, Marco Verratti and Juan Bernat injured, he
dominated the match.
Italian international Florenti, on loan from Roma, doubled the
lead in the 78th minute with a header before Mbappe struck
again five minutes later after wonderful work from Sarabia.
The Spaniard completed the quartet two minutes before the end
after Italian Moise Kane, on loan from Everton, hit the crossbar
with a header in his first game for St. Germain.
Earlier, Martin Terrier put Stade Rennes ahead midway through
the first half before Mama Bald equalized after the break.
Thierer scored Rennes with a low shot in the 24th minute, as the
visiting team gained early dominance.
But Balad just scored nine minutes into the second half with a
right-footed shot from inside the area.
Rennes, who will kick off his Champions League campaign
against Krasnodar on Tuesday, came close to clinching the
match in his favor and collecting the three points six minutes
before the end, but Flavian Tate’s shot hit the crossbar.
Dijon remained at the bottom of the standings with two points.
