Le Classique promised and delivered on a riveting day of derbies across the continent, with Ligue 1 table-toppers Paris Saint-Germain increasing their league lead to eight points with a 2-0 away win over Olympique de Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome.
Following Juventus’ draw with Genoa a week ago, Paris Saint-Germain remain the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to have won every game so far in their respective season and have equalled Tottenham’s record of 11 consecutive wins at the start of a league campaign, set over half a century ago in 1960.
However, it’s not all rosy in the France capital, with more than a few eyebrows raised at €135million teenager and World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé being omitted from the starting XI in France’s second city by Thomas Tuchel for what is regarded as the fiercest and most competitive game in the French league.
Eventually coming on as a second-half substitute for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – formerly of Stoke City – it took less than three minutes for the wunderkind to break the PSG deadlock with Les Phoceens, and set the Ligue 1 champions on their way to taking the vital three points and Mbappe did not understate his own importance to the team.
“The team needed this win,”
Mbappé told Canal+ after the match
“A great team relies on its leaders and they have to make a difference at key moments. I think I can take on that role and I did.
His strike means his 10 goals is not only putting him stop of the highest goalscorer list in the French top tier, but is the highest tally of any player in the top five leagues so far this season. The 19-year-old has scored 12 goals in 10 games this season including the Champions League.
Unfortunately for them, Les Parisiens find themselves currently languishing outside of the qualification spots to reach the knock-out rounds of the Champions League after a defeat to Liverpool and a draw with Napoli.
In this weekend’s domestic game, a PSG side that had already scored 37 goals so far this season couldn’t break the deadlock due to some fantastic on-the-line Marseille defending and a brilliant save by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, Neymar had had to interrupt his corner taking after highlighting a thrown object from the crowd and went agonisingly close to opening the scoring but saw his effort screech wide.
After taking to the pitch, Mbappé grabbed the game with both hands after a sprint down the right saw Marseille centre-back Boubacar Kamara playing catch-up. The PSG number seven didn’t fluff his lines and pinpointed his shot with perfect accuracy into the bottom left-hand corner, with Kamara’s hands failing to hold the unstoppable force back to no avail.
PSG eventually saw out the match 2-0 thanks also to Julian Draxler’s injury time poach.
The reason it had emerged that Tuchel had benched both Mbappé and teammate Adrien Rabiot due to both players turning up late. The new PSG manager had to instil some tough love but will be delighted with the impact his young star had.
“It’s a disciplinary decision [for Rabiot and Mbappé],”
Tuchel said at his post-match press conference.
“The collective is always more important than individuals.
“I hate playing without Kylian in a match like that. He gave a good answer, but I do not like it. It’s a bit difficult.”
After back-to-back league titles and a World Cup until his belt – as well as the award for Best Young Player at the tournament – Mbappé has long been linked with a move to incumbent Champions League winners Real Madrid, with Los Blancos even having to vehemently deny an agreement had been put in place this past summer.
With Madrid currently languishing in mediocrity under manager Julen Lopetegui, how those flocking to the Santiago Bernabeu would love to see a player of Mbappe’s dynamism and calibre wearing the white.
Judging by his performances for PSG this season and how vital he is to Les Parisiens’ success, it seems Real Madrid are going to have to wait a little bit longer.