PARIS: Neymar notched his 10th goal of the young season but a lethargic Paris Saint-Germain needed a second-half Gianluigi Donnarumma penalty save to secure a 1-0 win over Brest in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The result takes PSG back to the top of the table and maintains their unbeaten start to the season under new coach Christophe Galtier.
PSG are two points clear of Lens, who won 1-0 against Troyes on Friday, but Marseille can move level with the champions if they win at home to Lille later on Saturday.
Despite the result, this was PSG’s least convincing performance of the season so far, coming against a Brest side who just two weeks ago lost 7-0 at home to Montpellier.
Paris coach Christophe Galtier may reflect that he should have made more changes to his starting line-up, with this match coming in between their 2-1 midweek Champions League win over Juventus and a long trip to Israel to play Maccabi Haifa this Wednesday.
Nuno Mendes and captain Marquinhos were the only PSG players who started against Juventus to be rested, with Juan Bernat and Danilo Pereira coming in.
Galtier resisted the temptation to rest any of his superstar front three, telling broadcaster Amazon Prime that he had thought about leaving out Lionel Messi but realized that the Argentine “doesn’t need a breather.”
Summer signings Nordi Mukiele and Carlos Soler therefore spent the afternoon on the bench, while Spanish international Fabian Ruiz came on for his debut as a second-half substitute.
There was a lucky escape for Brest in the first half as defender Christophe Herelle was sent off for bringing down Neymar as the Brazilian advanced on goal.
VAR confirmed that Neymar was fractionally offside when Messi played the pass, and Herelle was allowed to stay on the field.
However, the home side scored on the half-hour with Messi again picking out Neymar, who controlled before sending a shot across goalkeeper Marco Bizot and into the far corner.
It was his eighth goal in seven league games this season. He also scored twice in the campaign-opening Champions Trophy against Nantes.
It was also a seventh assist for Messi, who has turned into a more reliable maker of goals than goal-scorer since leaving Barcelona.
The Argentine did hit the post from a Kylian Mbappe assist early in the second half, while the latter had a goal disallowed for offside just before the break.
Ultimately PSG were grateful to Donnarumma. The Italian dived to his left 20 minutes from time to keep out Islam Slimani’s penalty, awarded following a clumsy foul by Presnel Kimpembe on Noah Fadiga.
Neymar scores, Donnarumma saves penalty in PSG win
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Neymar scores, Donnarumma saves penalty in PSG win
- The result takes PSG back to the top of the table and maintains their unbeaten start to the season
- Marseille can move level with the champions if they win at home to Lille later on Saturday
Talwar leads on opening day of 2025 Saudi Open
- The 26-year-old from Delhi set a new course record of 8-under 64 at Dirab Golf & Country Club
RIYADH: India’s Saptak Talwar opened the first day of the 2025 Saudi Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour, with a new course record of 64 (8-under) after finishing his round with a birdie on the final hole in fading light at the Dirab Golf & Country Club.
The 26-year-old from Delhi, who has competed in only a handful of Asian Tour events since turning professional in 2021, delivered a flawless round that included four birdies on each nine, placing him at the top of the leaderboard.
In second place are American John Catlin, the defending champion and reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, and Australia’s Jack Thompson, both carding 65.
Meanwhile, rising Moroccan talent Adam Bresnu stole the spotlight as the leading Arab player on the opening day, after a strong performance that placed him firmly in contention.
Despite still being an amateur, Bresnu exemplified the Arab Golf Federation’s vision of creating clear pathways for regional talent to reach the highest levels of the professional game.
Through its partnership with the Arab Golf Federation, Golf Saudi is expanding high-level opportunities for amateur and professional Arab players.
Bresnu said: “The conditions were really good. What I liked most about the course was how firm the greens and fairways were. The greens are excellent, and I’m really happy to be here.”
“I’ll keep the same mindset. Patience is the main goal,” he added. “It’s a four-round tournament, day by day, shot by shot. My goal is simply to enjoy playing.”
Saudi Arabia players are still in contention as they progress into day two.
Shergo Al-Kurdi said: “Representing the Kingdom is amazing, the crowd support is definitely a big one. In general just being in Saudi, I always enjoy my time here and just want to perform the best I can. It’s a good place to have a nice week.”
He added: “The amount of support Saudi gives to their players is absolutely fantastic and it’s what golfers need to get into a higher level of golf. It is what is needed and they are prepared to do it. It’s very good what they’re doing.”
