Nimes (AFP)

The C1 already in the heads?

Paris SG are Ligue 1 leaders for the first time this season thanks to their victory (4-0) on Friday in Nîmes, four days before their entry into the Champions League.

Tireless Kylian Mbappé!

48 hours after having played a whole match - and scored - with the Blues in Croatia (2-1 victory), the 21-year-old striker played almost the entire meeting ... and did even better, with a double.

Launched one on one by a superb deep pass from Rafinha, "Kyky" eliminated Nîmes goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet and opened the scoring, scoring coolly in the empty goal (32nd).

Alessandro Florenzi doubled the lead (78th), a well-deserved reward for the Italian who found the post twice before (66th, 76th).

Mbappé satisfied his hunger for goals by scoring with the flat foot (83rd), just before leaving his place to Jesé.

And Pablo Sarabia completed the demonstration (88th), helped by an error from Reynet, solid until then.

And here is the reigning French champion who passes Rennes on goal difference and takes, with 15 points, the lead of the Championship for the first time this season.

The winner of Lille-Lens on Sunday will nevertheless be able to finish the 7th day in the lead.

- Nîmes at ten -

Despite the heavy score, the Parisians left the feeling of a team that is saving itself, four days before the C1, far from the steamroller that slapped Angers (6-1) the previous day.

It must be said that coach Thomas Tuchel could hardly make it turn.

Between suspensions, injuries and coronavirus, he was deprived of eight players.

The 5,000 Nîmes supporters who came to the Costières stadium, health gauge requires, did not long hope to titillate the champion of France.

In this duel against a club with a budget 15 times greater, the "Crocs" made their task a little more complicated from the start by finding themselves ten (13th) after Loïck Landre's red card.

The central defender, trained at PSG, was logically expelled for a kick in the chest of Rafinha.

- And now, Manchester -

In fact, Thomas Tuchel was cautious, bringing in in the 57th, 1-0, a fifth defender, Colin Dagba, in place of Rafinha.

The Brazilian, recruited from Barcelona in the last minutes of the transfer market, made a success of his landing in Ligue 1 with a good attacking contribution and crosses on the line.

Around him we will have noted the technical prowess of Mbappé and the climbs of Florenzi and Mitchel Bakker.

The other recruit at the end of the transfer window, the Italian Moise Kean, failed to score on his few occasions (7th, 39th, 87th).

Some errors in defense gave opportunities to the Nîmes attackers ... who however never seriously succeeded in worrying Keylor Navas.

For PSG, which garners its fifth consecutive victory in L1, the worries are nevertheless still there before the reception of the Red Devils on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes.

Already deprived with certainty for this match of Mauro Icardi and Thilo Kehrer, and probably of Marco Verratti and Marquinhos, the German technician can now worry about Leandro Paredes, released very early (11th) while holding his thigh.

Angel Di Maria and Neymar, who should make their return, will not be too much ...

© 2020 AFP