Young stars Ndjantou and Mbaye impress as PSG defeat Metz to reach Ligue 1 summit
Young players Quentin Ndjantou and Ibrahim Mbaye impressed greatly as Paris Saint-Germain reclaimed the Ligue 1 lead with a tough 3 to 2 victory over last-placed Metz on Saturday.
Ndjantou netted his debut goal for the side while Mbaye provided a pair of assists, and Portuguese striker Goncalo Ramos along with replacement Desire Doue contributed the remaining strikes for PSG.
"Ndjantou stands out as the unexpected highlight early in the campaign, he possesses that ability to surge forward from deep positions and position himself ready for the ball," commented manager Luis Enrique.
"He combines skills suited to midfield and forward roles, we anticipate much from him."
The manager expressed satisfaction with Mbaye's display too.
"We trust in his abilities. He performed beyond his usual level, displaying greater ease and confidence, executing fine actions both on and off the ball."
Just four days ahead of PSG's Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo from Brazil in Qatar, Luis Enrique opted to rest numerous key squad members for the journey to northern France.
Although Ballon d'Or recipient Ousmane Dembele was unfit to feature following a bout of illness, Luis Enrique kept Doue, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and custodian Lucas Chevalier as unused substitutes.
Rather, 17-year-old Mbaye and 18-year-old Ndjantou were selected flanking Ramos up front, and they lived up to expectations.
That said, Luis Enrique found little else to praise in his squad's effort, attributing it to the heavy rotation in the lineup.
"I felt concerned, deeply so. Metz stayed competitive, especially during the latter period, until the final moments," he noted, explaining that his side had "lost grip" after the interval.
Mbaye the architect
Following a subdued start, the encounter ignited in the closing quarter-hour before the break.
Ramos opened the scoring for PSG by nodding in a delivery from Lee Kang-in at the 31-minute mark.
At 39 minutes, Ndjantou poked in Mbaye's tricky low pass across the six-yard area.
Merely three minutes after, Jessy Deminguet rifled one in for Metz from range after a deflection kindly fell his way.
Danish shot-stopper Jonathan Fischer thwarted Ramos with a sharp stop to maintain Metz's involvement post-restart.
Habib Diallo missed a levelling opportunity shortly before the hour, miscueing his half-volley from the box's edge astray.
Doue appeared to secure the points when he broke away from midfield, set free by Mbaye, as Metz advanced during a set-piece situation.
Doue covered 70 yards before coolly finishing beyond Fischer.
One week on from bagging his initial goal this term versus Rennes, Mbaye struck the frame of the goal on 71 minutes.
Georgian player Georgi Tsitaishvili offered Metz a lifeline nine minutes remaining, with a bending shot from distance, yet PSG clung on.
Lens could regain the Ligue 1 top spot should they overcome Nice, a side enduring eight consecutive losses across all tournaments, on Sunday.
PSG's local rivals Paris FC suffered a fifth loss in nine outings, leaving them precariously positioned just outside the drop zone, as Yann Gboho notched twice to aid Toulouse in securing a 3 to 0 triumph departing the capital.
That represents merely one victory in those nine fixtures for PFC, the club largely held by the wealthy Arnault family behind LVMH.
Earlier that day, Rennes climbed to fifth via a 3 to 1 turnaround win against Brest, marking their fifth triumph in the past six Ligue 1 fixtures.