Paris St Germain beat Saturday 3-0 in Nantes to take a three-point lead over Ligue 1, with Ander Herrera, Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia all scoring goals in the second half
With several players injured, including Brazilian striker Neymar injured in the thigh in a 2-0 Champions League victory at Istanbul Basaksehir midweek, Mbappe had to shoulder much of the offensive responsibility against a difficult Nantes team
The hosts almost took the lead in the 16th minute when Kolo Muani danced along the goal line before removing the ball, but Moses Simon, with the open goal at his mercy, failed to get a clean strike on the ball upset harmlessly wide
Both teams were guilty of waste in the first half, with French PSG striker Mbappe unusually rejecting two excellent chances and Nantes’ Muani making a fine effort just 10 minutes before the break
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel brought in 18-year-old Kays Ruiz-Atil for Moise Kean at the break and he found Mbappe whose precise angular pass was slammed into the net by Spain midfielder Ander Herrera two minutes after the start of the second half
Mbappe was wrapped up by defender Jean-Charles Castelletto for a 63rd penalty and, after a short delay for a VAR check, Mbappe concealed the kick to carry it 2-0
Nantes’s Kader Bamba then had a penalty saved by PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas seven minutes later and a frustrating night for Nantes came down to when they gave the ball to their own box to give Sarabia a third goal for PSG in the 88th
This victory puts PSG at 21 points after nine matches, three ahead of Lille, second, which hosts Olympique Lyonnais Nantes on Sunday remains 15th on eight points
Paris Saint-Germain FC, Neymar, France Ligue 1, FC Nantes, Thomas Tuchel, UEFA Champions League, Kylian Mbappé
World news – AU – PSG wins 3-0 in Nantes to gain three points in advance
