Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos watched on from the stands as their new Paris Saint-Germain teammates routed Strasbourg 4-2 in front of a packed Parc des Princes.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
2' GOAL! PSG 1-0 Strasbourg (Icardi)
3' Messi & Neymar watch this game on the stands
13' Hakimi's shot blocked
20' Prcic's shot wide out
24' GOAL! PSG 2-0 Strasbourg (Mbappe)
26' GOAL! PSG 3-0 Strasbourg (Draxler)
39' Gameiro's shot flies high
48' CHANCE! Mbappé's shot denied
50' Yellow Card! Ebimbe booked
52' GOAL! PSG 3-1 Strasbourg (Gameiro)
59' Yellow Card! Fila booked
63' GOAL! PSG 3-2 Strasbourg (Ajorque)
79' Yellow Card! Djiku booked
80' Second Yellow Card! Djiku sent off
85' GOAL! PSG 4-2 Strasbourg (Sarabia)
87' Waris misses a golden chance
Match Report
The Parisians showed off their strength in depth, with four different players getting on the scoresheet and a number of stars not involved. Besides Messi and Ramos, PSG were also without Neymar, Angel di Maria, Marquinhos, Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Juan Bernat.
Pre-match, the new Galactico arrivals - Messi, Ramos, Donnarumma, Giorginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi - were presented to a jubilant capacity crowd and the celebratory atmosphere was set to continue as the hosts scored in the third minute and were 3-0 up before the half hour mark.
In the third minute it was Mauro Icardi who got his head on an Abdou Diallo cross and looped it beyond Strasbourg keeper Matz Sels.
Julain Draxler then assisted for Mbappe in the 25th minute before the Frenchman returned the favour a couple of minutes later. Both goals, however, were all about Mbappe. After Draxler did well to steer the ball into his path, the 22-year-old drifted imperiously in from the left and smashed home a confident finish. For the third goal, his skill and change of pace was too much for the Strasbourg defence as he blitzed by any attempt to stop him and dinked the ball across to give the German a simple finish.
The visitors threatened an unlikely comeback after the break, however, and clawed two goals back thanks to Kevin Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque.
It wasn't to be and Pablo Sarabia put the icing on PSG's celebratory cake with a tap-in after another impressive assist from Mbappe, who was simply too much too handle.
If this is what PSG can do without a host of their stars, including Neymar and Messi, the thought of the Parisians at full strength is terrifying. Perhaps, too, Mbappe's performance is a reminder that he is capable of being the team's number one star.
Line-ups
PSG XI: Wijnaldum, Navas, Herrera, Draxler, Icardi, Kimpembe, Kehrer, Diallo, Mbappe, Hakimi, E. Ebimbe
Subs: Sarabia, Danilo Pereira, Rico, Rafinha, Muinga, N. Bitumazala, E. Michut, E. Bitshiabu, Ismael Gharbi
Strasbourg XI: Gameiro, Sels, Prcic, Lienard, Aholou, Djiku, L. Ajorque, I. Sissoko, J. Bellegarde, Perrin, K. Fila
Subs: E. Kawashima, A. Waris, Thomasson, M. Chahiri, H. Diallo, Caci, M. Siby, M. Senaya