PSG's MNM combo crunch through Troyes test
Things couldn’t have started worse for PSG in front of their fans at Parc des Princes, as the visitors broke the deadlock in the third minute thanks to Mama Baldé, who took advantage of a perfect pass from Rony Lopes to defeat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a shot from close range. Suitably awoken, PSG took full control of the contest and began to push forward relentlessly, with Neymar doing much of the work against an overwhelmed Troyes defence, and blasting a long-range shot that came close in the 22nd minute.
Les Parisiens would even things up just two minutes later, and Neymar was pivotal again, setting up Carlos Soler, who only had to send the ball home from close range. The hosts kept putting pressure on the opposing defence, but somehow Troyes managed to hold on against French football’s most feared attacking line to hold out for parity at the break.
Against the run of play, Troyes retook the lead early after the restart, and it was thanks to Baldé once again, as the striker received a cross and placed an effort past Donnarumma with a quick turnaround shot. But PSG only needed a few minutes to even things up, doing so when Messi unleashed an unstoppable shot from long range that left Gauthier Gallon helpless. At this rate it was inevitable to see PSG completing the comeback and Neymar was the one who blasted the go-ahead goal following a beautiful through ball from Messi.
The final 30 minutes saw PSG move the ball around with their signature nonchalance, with Neymar as the star of the contest and Marco Verratti holding things down. Almost inevitably, Mbappé finally scored PSG’s fourth with a well-taken penalty, but Troyes would score a late consolation goal through Ante Palaversa, who had entered the game only a few minutes earlier. Sadly for them, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback and snatch a point.
While Troyes did far better than expected against the champions, it was not a defeat without a strong sense of frustration for the visitors. By PSG’s lofty standards, this was certainly something of an ‘off-night’ in defence, but the Parisians nonetheless extended their undefeated start to the season, and now hold a five-point lead at the top of the standings.