paris san german vs Stade Brest (1-0) Neymar Goal Results a

paris san german vs Stade Brest (1-0) Neymar Goal Results a

PSG vs Brest result, highlights: Neymar goal, Messi assist, and Donnarumma penalty save enough for 1-0 win
Psg are back at the top of the Ligue 1 after hanging on for a narrow 1-0 home win over relegation-threatened Stade Brestois, who failed to convert a late penalty which would have equalized the match.

It was PSG's sixth win in seven league matches, but it didn't come with the same newfound swagger of recent victories under new manager Christophe Galtier. Brest was the better team in the second half and came on strong to end the match. But PSG 'keeper Gigi Donnarumma stopped Islam Slimani's penalty to preserve the 1-0 advantage

Leo Messi Man of the Match

Neymar's world-class finish will get the headlines, but Messi was pulling the strings when PSG had the upper hand in the match. Neymar has a league-leading eight goals, but Messi has a league-leading seven assists after dishing out his latest helper

The Argentine has embraced this new role as facilitator dating back to last season when he finished with more assists (15) than goals (11). And he's good at it. Opponents have a hard time picking him up as he pops up in different spots, and he's always quicker with the inventive pass which he sees before everyone else.

Don't mistake his declining goal numbers with a declining impact on his team and its matches. The 35-year-old will not wow us by darting past an entire defense as in years past, but he has reinvented himself and opposing sides, including at the 2022 World Cup, will need to clamp down on him or risk being carved up

Red flags after PSG's latest dip

It happened against Juventus in midweek and it happened once again vs. Brest. PSG oozes class for a period of the match and establishes its clear superiority. But then after breaking through with a goal or two, they pull back almost in admiration of their dominance

That happened last season under Mauricio Pochettino, and new manager Christophe Galtier was supposed to give this team an edge to rid them of that tendency in 2022/23. Prior to the Brest match they scored three goals or more in six of their eight official matches, showing early signs that they would not be taking their foot off the pedal. But they've resorted to old habits.

Galtier did send a message with a triple substitution that involved Neymar and Kylian Mbappe coming out of the match, but that only came after the Brest penalty nearly equalized the match

PSG played in a 3-4-3 formation and it was a surprise to many that Galtier chose to play all three of his attacking stars, giving Messi the full 90 minutes. Prematch reports indicated that Carlos Soler was set to replace Messi in the lineup to give the 35-year-old a breather. But that didn't happen and Soler never entered the match.