A look back at the first half of the Ligue 1 season (1/3) - Five key games

Clermont 0-5 Paris: AN IDEAL START

Fresh off the back of claiming their first title of the season with a 4-0 win over FC Nantes in the Trophée des Champions, Paris Saint-Germain jumped into another Ligue 1 campaign looking to defend their title. The first team standing in Les Parisiens' way was Clermont. For that game, Christophe Galtier put out a central defence of captain Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos and Presnel Kimpembe. Up front, Pablo Sarabia was tasked with supporting Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.

From a Sarabia cross that was flicked on by Messi, Paris's no. 10 opened the scoring with a superb half-volley across goal (0-1, 9'). Then, after a wonderful counter-attacking move, Achraf Hakimi finished with a snapshot that nestled into the top corner of the net (0-2, 25'). Les Rouge et Bleu were having fun, and it was Marquinhos who got in on the act for the third goal from a Neymar Jr free kick (0-3, 39').

Approaching the end of the game, the Brazilian forward provided a delightful assist for Messi, who added some spice to the scoreline (0-4, 80'), but La Pulga decided not to stop there. Unmarked in the box, the Argentine controlled the ball before scoring with a deft overhead kick (0-5, 85'). The applause of the Stade Gabriel Montpied for the masterpiece that they had just witnessed closed out what would be Les Parisiens' first key game of the league season so far.

Lille 1-7 Paris: A SHOW OF STRENGTH IN NORTHERN FRANCE

A week after comfortably putting away Montpellier with a 5-2 win at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain travelled up north for the first big clash of the season against Lille. The team put out by Christophe Galtier was the same one that started away to Clermont, with the exception of Kylian Mbappé's return in place of Sarabia.

It's fair to say that it was best not to turn up late to the Stade Pierre Mauroy, as after just eight seconds, Les Parisiens opened the scoring thanks to a supersonic Mbappé (0-1, 1') – a club record that set the tone for Paris. Then, from Nuno Mendes's cutback, Messi placed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to double his side's lead (0-2, 27') before Hakimi, having been played in by Neymar Jr, put a shot across goal and in (0-3, 39'). The Brazilian then turned from assist provider to goalscorer, netting Paris's fourth with a clinical strike (0-4, 44').

In the second half, Mbappé pulled off a brilliant dummy for the no. 10, who scored his side's fifth goal of the game (0-5, 52'). After Lille pulled a goal back through Jonathan Bamba (1-5, 54'), Les Parisiens put together a lovely team move, with Neymar Jr and Mbappé instinctively combining for the no. 7 to send a powerful shot just underneath the crossbar (1-6, 67'). The show was rounded off by Mbappé, who got his hat trick after another Neymar Jr assist (1-7, 87').

Olympique Lyonnais 0-1 Paris: messi the matchwinner

At a stadium that was full to bursting, Les Parisiens were preparing to play one of the biggest games in the Ligue 1 calendar against their Lyonnais counterparts. For the occasion, Christophe Galtier came up with a starting 11 that included the pairing of Marco Verratti and Fabián Ruiz in midfield to support the attacking trio, and they opened the scoring quickly thanks to a marvellous team move that was finished off by Messi with a delicate shot across goal (0-1, 5'). The Argentine came close to a second early in the second half, but Castello Lukeba managed to get back to clear the ball off the line.

Having already shown their brilliance, Les Rouge et Bleu then showed their togetherness. In a frantic end to the game where Les Parisiens constantly had to put their bodies on the line, Gianluigi Donnarumma and co. found the mental strength required to fend off attacks from a valiant and tenacious Lyon side that were carried by their fans until the final whistle. In the end, it was a hard-fought victory to savour for Paris Saint-Germain, who made it five straight away wins in the league!

Paris 1-0 Olympique de Marseille: le Classique IS red and blue

For the 103rd edition of Le Classique, Christophe Galtier positioned Danilo Pereira alongside the irreplaceable Marquinhos in the centre of defence. The midfield, meanwhile, was made up of a Verratti–Vitinha–Ruiz triangle in support of the capital club's usual front three.

Physical battles, aggressive challenges and hungry looks were what was on show between the 22 players at the Parc des Princes, but it was Les Rouge et Bleu who established their territory that evening with a deserved win thanks to an Mbappé-assisted goal for Neymar Jr, who placed a clinical, sidefooted finish in off the post (1-0, 45'+2). As together and committed as ever, Les Parisiens were warrior-like in their resistance of their southern rivals' pressing and would eventually earn a precious win for the Paris fans.

Paris 4-3 ES Troyes AC: a challenge and a show at the Parc des Princes

A few days after their exceptional display in the Champions League against Maccabi Haifa, Paris Saint-Germain were back in front of their home fans for the visit of Troyes and a special game due to the long-awaited return of Presnel Kimpembe, as well as the presence of Nordi Mukiele and Carlos Soler in the starting line-up.

Against a Troyes side reputed for their bravery and desire to play, Paris were given an early shock when Mama Baldé coolly opened the scoring (0-1, 3'). It wasn't enough to dishearten Les Parisiens, though, who managed to draw level when Neymar Jr's inch-perfect pass found Soler, with the Spanish international scoring his first-ever goal in Ligue 1 (1-1, 23'), but Baldé restored his side's lead shortly after the break (1-2, 51').

Galtier's men now had their backs up, and they didn't take long to respond through Messi, whose magic, left-footed missile got the Parc des Princes crowd up on its feet (2-2, 54'). The ever-impressive Verratti and co. then took the lead thanks to goals from Neymar Jr (3-2, 63') and Mbappé (4-2, 76'). Ante Palaversa reduced the deficit in the final few minutes (4-3, 88'), but it didn't impact the final score, as Paris earned another win after treating their fans to a wonderful spectacle!