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Paris Saint-Germain went top of the Ligue 1 table with a thrilling 4-2 victory away to Brest. The result leaves the hosts twelfth in the table, while Anger and Clermont Foot can shuffle PSG off of their perch with wins.
Paris Saint-Germain dominated the opening exchanges and underlined their superiority in the 23rd minute as Ander Herrera volleyed home the opener. Kylian Mbappe doubled the lead with an opportunistic header in the 36th minute after having started the move himself.
Brest were not passive opponents though, and clawed their way back into the match with a well worked goal. Romain Faivre's delicious backheel allowed Franck Honorat space in the box to arrow a shot past Keylor Navas into the bottom corner, making it 2-1 going into the break.
Keylor Navas pulled off a huge save from Irving Cardona in the 67th minute, after which Idrissa Gana Gueye made it 3-1 with a howziter from range. Navas continued his superb form, making another save in the 77th minute from what looked a certain goal.
Brest was not done, though, and Steve Mounie made it 3-2 in the 85th minute with a supreme piece of control and finish. As the hosts pushed up in search of an equalizer, PSG took advantage with Angel di Maria scoring with a lob over the keeper at the end of a counter-attack in injury time to make it 4-2.
Here are five talking points from the game:
#1 PSG's defence is an absolute mess
For all the excitement over Paris Saint-Germain's recruitment of Lionel Messi, it's perhaps their acquisition of Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi that may come to benefit them more. Even without the likes of Neymar and Messi, PSG had no trouble conjuring up goals against Brest. However, it was an absolute defensive nightmare of a performance.
Indeed, despite shipping in two goals, one could make the case that Keylor Navas was one of PSG's best performers on the night. The Costa Rican keeper pulled off a couple of stunning saves at crucial moments in the game, where conceding would've had catastrophic consequences for PSG.
Presnel Kimpembe and Abdou Diallo were often caught unawares, with most of Brest's attacks and goals coming down their right wing. Mauricio Pochettino has a huge task of shoring up this defense on his hands, having conceded five goals in three games so far.
#2 Brest can surprise quite a few teams this season
Michel Der Zakarian is quite the experienced coach when it comes to French football and what he has seen from his side in their opening three games ought to fill him with pride.
Brest narrowly escaped relegation last season by a single point, with many tipping them to be favorites to go down this time around. However, they have been anything but league fodder, pulling off impressive draws against Rennes and Lyon coming into this game.
It would not be a stretch to say Brest deserved a point from the game at the very least. The defensive low block held PSG at bay for large stretches, while the counter-attack was often swift and decisive. Brest looks like a team that's a sum of their parts and could very well stay in the league this season, if not more.
#3 Kylian Mbappe and Ander Herrera were amongst the few positives for PSG tonight
While Kylian Mbappe's performance wasn't likely to show up in any post-career compilations anytime soon, what would encourage the watching PSG faithful was his willingness to partake in team moves. The Frenchman was involved in both of PSG's first two goals, opting to pass when he had the chance to go it alone.
It's a refreshing streak of generosity from a player often accused of being selfish. Perhaps it's the arrival of Lionel Messi or maybe Mbappe is simply maturing - either way PSG have more lubrication for their attacking engine.
Ander Herrera has quietly been PSG's most consistent player this season, with this game underlining his best qualities. The Spaniard was often on hand to snuff out danger, making some clever decisions as PSG's defense went walkabout multiple times.
He was impressive going forward too, thriving in midfield as he set up multiple chances with some intelligent forward passing.
#4 Pochettino's new formation misfires
The 4-2 scoreline may have made it appear as though PSG's attack was purring. However, it flattered the Parisians who benefited from a couple of lucky bounces and poor goalkeeping. Mauricio Pochettino's 4-4-2 diamond formation was in fact quite boring to watch as the midfield struggled to pierce through the middle, barring Herrera.
Gini Wijnaldum offered very little at the tip of the diamond, with Brest effectively nullifying him, Marco Veratti and Idrissa Gana Gueye. Achraf Hakimi was the only player to offer width, while Diallo's attempts at offensive play often resulted in the move breaking down.
There was very little in terms of a partnership between Mauro Icardi and Mbappe, with the latter finding it easier to dovetail with Herrera and Hakimi. Perhaps this was a formation aimed at shoring up PSG's backline by adding steel to the midfield, but Pochettino's experiment was lucky to walk away with three points.
#5 Lionel Messi's debut approaches
Lionel Messi has been brought in to PSG for the express purpose of improving their goal output, but one could argue if they even need him. The Parisians have averaged 2.9 goals per game in their last ten league outings.
PSG face a trip to Reims next before the international break and perhaps the club may opt to delay his debut for the home game against Clermont Foot instead.
Either way, there is plenty of excitement surrounding his eventual debut, but there is a benefit in keeping the fans waiting. PSG still have issues on the pitch to sort out, and adding Messi to the mixture before he has a chance to properly get on his team-mates' wavelength might do him a disservice instead.
Reims is hardly the setting for the debut of such a legend and perhaps it would be best to unleash him at the Parc des Princes after the international break.
