Paris Saint-Germain defeated Stade Brestois 29 1-0 on Saturday to reclaim the lead in Ligue 1 thanks to a goal from Neymar Jr. and a penalty save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
With this match at Parc des Princes coming in between the 2-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Juventus and a journey to Israel to play Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday, PSG coach Christophe Galtier resisted the need to make significant changes to his starting lineup.
Nuno Mendes and captain Marquinhos were replaced by Juan Bernat and Danilo Pereira, making only two changes to the lineup from the team that faced Juve in the first half.
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Due to the partnership between the Brazilian and the Argentine, Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé all held their spots in the attack. As a result, the visitors faced the most significant difficulties in the first half.
The fact that Neymar was brought down by Christophe Hérelle as he headed toward the box after being given the all-clear by Messi was a fortunate escape for Brest.
After VAR determined that Neymar had been slightly offside when the pass was made, Hérelle’s red card was revoked.
The goal was nonetheless a result of another Messi and Neymar partnership around the halfway point. The Brazilian controlled a pass over the top from the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and then sent a shot into the far corner.
Just before halftime, Mbappé had the ball in the back of the net but his attempt was disallowed for offside. The France star then set up Messi for a header against the post early in the second half.
Even though Fabián Ruiz made his debut for PSG shortly after the hour mark, this was a reserved display from PSG.
Instead, Brest might have stolen a point when Noah Fadiga was hauled down by Presnel Kimpembe in the area, earning them a penalty midway through the second half.
However, Donnarumma turned the ball behind and saved Islam Slimani’s penalty kick by diving to his left. This allowed PSG to win all three games.
The outcome moves Parisians back above RC Lens, who had been sleeping at the top after defeating ESTAC Troyes 1-0 on Friday.