Paris continue run in Nantes

With their heads full of stars, a string of victories under their belts and a growing appetite as the season progresses, the Parisians are juggling competitions with all the talent they are renowned for. After three invaluable wins at the Parc des Princes, Les Rouge et Bleu returned to the road for a league match away from home. Go west! Luis Enrique made no fewer than five changes to his starting line-up for the trip to Nantes. Having previously come up against opponents as daring as they were attacking (Brest, Lille and Real Sociedad), the Spanish coach was now set to take on a Nantes side with far more defensive intentions...

Because they pit two of France's footballing powerhouses against each other, clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Nantes are always special. All the more so when they are played at La Beaujoire - hostile territory with an undeniable charm! And this iteration of the fixture was no exception. Nonetheless, the first half was a tight affair. Although Les Rouge et Bleu took the game very seriously, they were forced to camp in front of their opponents' back-line during the first term as they struggled to find solutions to Nantes' tenacious defending. Overwhelming possession (82%), incessant movement and a barrage of set-pieces: the Parisians' domination was unquestionable.

Obviously, having failed to make the most of these opportunities, the Parisians also had to be vigilant... Despite their inconsistent form over the last few weeks, Les Canaris were determined to throw everything they had into this battle, and their speed in transition is well known. But Enrique's men had everything covered when their opponents woke up just before the break, protected by Lucas Hernandez's tackle (44') and Marquinhos's last-gasp block (45') before Pallois' goal was fortunately flagged offside (45'+2). In short, although Nantes did their best to make life difficult for the visitors, our Parisians never fell into the trap.

After the break, Les Rouge et Bleu knew they would have to capitalise on their dominance if they were to return to Paris without regrets. Luis Enrique threw in some new firepower by bringing on Gonçalo Ramos, who quickly distinguished himself with his attacking play. How to find the opening in this yellow wall? After a long-range effort from Vitinha (49'), even captain Marquinhos went beyond his duties to create extra space. And then the illustrious duo of Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé came off the bench to add to the danger - but the beauty of this story was that it was another 2018 world champion who silenced La Beaujoire! With a powerful shot from distance, Lucas Hernandez also showed a flash of his voracious appetite for a goals! (0-1, 60').

For the final half-hour, both teams went back to their usual good habits: on the one hand, Paris enjoyed a great deal of possession, while on the other, Les Canaris gave their all to make the most of every opening. As had been the case at the end of the first half, it was end-to-end stuff, with plenty of danger... but the difference this time was that Luis Enrique's side had the advantage of being in front - and of having Kylian Mbappé in their ranks. Our insatiable striker almost inevitably drew a penalty, which he converted without batting an eyelid (0-2, 77'). Despite an attempted fight-back by Nantes, Gigio Donnarumma was impeccable from start to finish, making six saves to keep another clean sheet. A job well done for a deserved victory.

At the end of a match that had been stitched up for some time, Paris Saint-Germain picked up another win to continue their run of form and extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1. It was their 18th consecutive match without defeat in all competitions, which bodes well for their forthcoming meeting with Rennes, the other big name in the west of France, at the Parc des Princes next week. Mission accomplished.