PARIS, OCT 20 — Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) returned to the top of Ligue 1 after beating Strasbourg 4-2 at the Parc des Princes early this morning, surpassing Monaco on goal difference.
Youngster Senny Mayulu opened the scoring with his first goal in Ligue 1, followed by goals from Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola and Lee Kang-in that helped PSG to victory in a match played in heavy rain. Sekou Mara and Pape Diong scored for Strasbourg, but they have yet to win at PSG in 34 attempts.
Monaco, who only managed a 0-0 draw against Lille on Friday, gave PSG a chance to reclaim the top spot, and Luis Enrique’s side took advantage of the opportunity despite making changes to the squad ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven.
“I think it’s the same for all coaches who lose players during the international break,” said Luis Enrique, whose men also travel to Marseille next weekend in French football’s biggest game.
“The first game after the international break is always challenging, but we achieved our goal, which was to get three points from a difficult opponent, while ensuring the players can recover from their international matches,” he added.
Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, and captain Marquinhos are among the rested players, while Mayulu, 18, is one of five players under the age of 20 in PSG’s starting line-up.
Mayulu opened the scoring in the 18th minute after a one-two with Barcola, before Asensio scored PSG’s second shortly after the start of the second half, capitalizing on Desire Doue’s deflected effort. Mara then scored a reply for Strasbourg, his first goal since joining the team from Southampton.
“Senny is a player with great potential and is capable of scoring goals. Today he scored one, but he can score three. He is a future player for the club,” said Luis Enrique. – AFP
