Neymar’s red card and a Marquinhos own goal looked to have cost PSG, only for a late Kylian Mbappe penalty to save them.
Kylian Mbappe rescued a late victory for Paris Saint-Germain on their return to Ligue 1 action as his injury-time penalty seized a 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Wednesday.
The league leaders had looked destined for a draw at Parc des Princes after captain Marquinhos had cancelled out his opener with an own goal and Neymar had been sent off for consecutive bookings.
But a 96th-minute spot-kick for the France international, just under a fortnight on from his hat-trick in defeat for France in the World Cup final, ensured his side avoided dropping points for the third time this season.
It marked a major reprieve for Christophe Galtier’s side, who were without Qatar 2022 winner Lionel Messi in the French capital, and struggled to convert their early dominance into a more comfortable result
PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 6
Nordi Mukiele, 6
Marquinhos, 6 – The captain looked to put World Cup disappointment behind him as he scored the opener, and was putting in a solid defensive performance to back that up – before he deflected in the equaliser from Thomasson’s shot.
Sergio Ramos, 6
El Chadaille Bitshiabu, 7 – An unexpected first start for the 17-year-old, who looked very capable defensively on the left side, albeit understandably unable to have the same attcking impact as the likes of Juan Bernat and Nuno Mendes. Replaced by World Cup semi-finalist Achraf Hakimi at the end of the game.
Fabián Ruiz, 5
Marco Verratti, 6 – His team’s best midfielder, leading the way and constantly moving play forward. Up to the occasion on the night his contract extension to 2026 was announced, even if he did lose the ball in the build-up to Strasbourg’s equaliser
Vitinha, 5
Neymar, 4 – The number 10 looked as though he was continuing his pre-World Cup form – and had recovered from heartbreak at the World Cup. After assisting Marquinhos’ opener and linking up well with Mbappé, he was sent off on the hour mark after picking up two needless yellows.
Kylian Mbappé, 7 – A slightly mifiring but determined performance from the World Cup’s top scorer, who constantly broke away down the left and threatened a shaky Strasbourg defence. His perseverance paid off as he scored the winner from the spot.
Hugo Ekitike, 4 – Despite finding the net for the first time in the last outing, the young forward is still finding his feet in Paris – some clumsy pieces of play in the box in spite of his good positioning prevented him from finding the net. Replaced by Carlos Soler with 20 minutes to go.
Strasbourg
Matz Sels, 6 – A vital save in a one-on-one situation against Kylian Mbappé was a turning point when the hosts were still up to their full complement.
Ismaël Doukouré, 6
Gerzino Nyamsi, 5
Alexander Djiku, 6
Lucas Perrin, 5
Sanjin Prcić, 6
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, 5
Habib Diarra, 5
Adrien Thomasson, 6 – A rugged performance from the midfielder, who will have been a game changer in more ways than one as he continuously frustrated Neymar – eventually leading to the first of the Brazilian’s two yellow cards – having seen his cross deflected in for the equaliser beforehand.
Kévin Gameiro, 6 – Came close to scoring on his return to the Parc des Princes, but was denied by an imposing Gianluigi Donnarumma. Nevertheless a hardworking performance, replaced with ten minutes to go by Habib Diallo.
Ludovic Ajorque, 4
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