Les Parisiens shine as they cap off in style!

In a Parc des Princes basking in sunshine, where the supporters of the club from the capital had turned out in their numbers for the lunchtime kick-off: all of the ingredients needed for an exciting afternoon of football were present on Sunday. And they weren't to be disappointed, with Christophe Galtier opting to start his magic trio of Mbappé - Neymar Jr - Messi for his side's final outing before the World Cup. 

There was a clear objective for the afternoon: make this symbolic 13 November an ode to life, a sporting celebration.

We knew that MNM wouldn't look to hide their pleasure against the newly promoted Auxerrois. And that they would  find a way to give their supporters the excitement they were looking for. However, with an ultra-defensive system, built around the trio, Christophe Pelissier wasn't going to make life easy for them. But with a lot of creativity and intense pressure, our Parisiens quickly managed to make the difference. An incredible piece of link-up saw Kylian Mbappé played in by Nuno Mendes, and the Frenchman scored his 19th goal of the season with his first effort of the afternoon (1-0, 11').

An opener that didn't change the shape of the game, however. Against an Auxerre side determined to keep things tight across the field, our Rouge et Bleu were able to alternate between long periods of possession and lightning changes of rhythm. Despite that, the score remained as it was until the break, before Les Parisiens really came into their own as they came back out from the dressing room! After another move down the left, this time, it was Carlos Soler who turned the ball home, with a smart header across goal! (2-0, 50').

On a roll, the Spaniard turned provider just 10 minutes later, when he set Achraf Hakimi on his way on the counter-attack. The Moroccan ran like the win and beat Benoît Costil with a well-placed finish (3-0, 57').

Of course, what was to come was even more enjoyable, with a gem from Neymar Jr finding Messi, before his effort was denied by the post. Christophe Galtier's changes made a difference too, with Ekitike and Renato Sanches both coming on. And the former found the latter for the fourth goal no less than 5 minutes later (4-0, 81')! The cherry on the cake was soon to come for the young forward, as he opened his account for the club after pressing high up the pitch, before finishing into the back of the net (5-0, 84')!

The perfect end to a match played in glorious sunshine, which served to prove that Paris is and will remain unsinkable. Fluctuat nec mergitur.