Kylian Mbappe continues to star in the absence of Neymar and Lionel Messi as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Brest 2-0 on Saturday night.
Result: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Brest
Date: 15 January 2022
Venue: Parc de Princes
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino made three changes to the side that was held by Olympique Lyonnais, as he recalled goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Thilo Kehrer and Angel Di Maria, while Lionel Messi and Neymar were still unavailable.
Brest should have been ahead in the ninth minute after Irvin Cardona made a good turn from a pass in the six-yard box but his strike was brilliantly saved by Donnarumma.
Pochettino's charges took time to get into the game and once they got going, they were clinical on a counter-attack, as Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute with a strike at the near post after he was teed up by Georginio Wijnaldum.
The hosts were able to put together longer attacking spells in the closing period of the first stanza but they lacked sharpness in front of goal, as they settled for a 1-0 lead heading into the half-time break.
Wijnaldum succumbed to an injury he picked up just before the half-time break and was replaced by Danilo at the start of the second stanza, as PSG had a bright opening exchanges, with Marco Verratti denied by the post after exchanging passes with Di Maria in the box.
Kehrer eventually doubled the lead for the Parisians eight minutes inside the second stanza with a first-time strike after a square pass by Nuno Mendes.
Pochettino was closing shop in the last 18 minutes with a defensive change, as Sergio Ramos replaced Di Maria, however, PSG remained on the front foot as Marquinhos came close to making it 3-0 four minutes later with a header at the back post that was cleared off the line by Brendan Chardonnet.
The Parisians were comfortable in the closing stages, running down the clock by putting together a string of passes, with Brest chasing the game, as they kept a cleansheet and extended their lead at the top of the log to 11 points.
