Kylian Mbappe scored two goals to lead Paris Saint-Germain to the opening match of the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Nantes to remain at the top of the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday.
France striker Mbappe hit the net on both sides of the half to take his tally this season to seven before being replaced by Neymar, while coach Christophe Galtier was looking to avoid the pair before Paris St Germain host Juventus on Tuesday.
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Paris Saint-Germain has 16 points from six matches and is ahead of second-placed Marseille, who beat Auxerre 2-0 on goal difference.
Paris Saint-Germain opened the scoring when Mbappe beat Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont from inside the penalty area after being sent by Lionel Messi in the 18th minute.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men six minutes later when Fabio da Silva was shown a straight red card for a dangerous interference on Vitinha.
Mbappe doubled the lead nine minutes into the second half at the end of a fast counterattack. The 23-year-old found Messi in the penalty area and the Argentine shot the ball towards Mbappe, who scored at the near post.
Then Nuno Mendes made the score 3-0 in the 68th minute, to hit the net after Neymar’s shot rebounded from the post to score Paris Saint-Germain’s 24th goal in the first division this season.
Olympique Lyonnais, who has a game in hand, climbed to third place with 13 points after Karl Toko Ekambi’s double and Alexandre Lacazette’s goal gave them a 5-0 landslide victory over Angers.
Lens is fourth with 13 points and travels to Stade de Reims on Sunday.
Earlier, Marseille continued their near-perfect start with a solid victory over a rising Auxerre, as Alexis Sanchez showed his value with his third goal since joining from Inter Milan as a free agent during the closing season.
Igor Tudor’s side won with an early goal from Gerson, substitute Sanchez scored late, while Cengiz Ander caught the eye with a superb first-half display four days before his Champions League trip to Tottenham Hotspur in London.
