RATINGS | PSG 3-0 Toulouse: League leaders coast to win ahead of trip to Munich

In reality, the Ligue 1 leaders approached their return from the final international break of the year with a look and a half on their midweek trip to Munich. Paris Saint-Germain's surprise XI that took on in-form Toulouse – who had won their last three league games – mainly featured an injury-reduced defense with Milan Škriniar, Yoram Zague and Lucas Beraldo returning to a central role. A post-international break misstep could not be ruled out.

There was at least a chance for Luis Enrique's men to restore their six-point lead over Monaco at the top of the table, with the Principality team having beaten fellow Champions League contenders Brest earlier in the evening.

Friday night's match was played at a predictably slow pace, with PSG barely able to convert their dominance in possession into clear-cut chances. It was no coincidence that the opener ultimately came from a long-range effort – with João Neves, on the edge of the penalty area, continuing his excellent start to the campaign by volleying in Achraf Hakimi's cross from the right.

The hosts appeared to rediscover their clinical lead in the second half when Warren Zaire-Emery dangled into an open net from close range ten minutes after the restart – although the goal was ultimately disallowed after Marco Asensio was ruled offside in the build-up. upwards.

From then on, the dynamics of the match largely followed those of the first half, with PSG's languid possession interrupted only by a handful of counter-attacks from Toulouse. The leader nevertheless disappeared from view five minutes before the end, when Lucas Beraldo hammered in from close range after the Occitans failed to clear another cross from Hakimi. Substitutes Randal Kolo Muani and Vitinha then combined in stoppage time to increase the score, with the Portuguese midfielder beating the defender with a feint before sending an emphatic shot under Restes' crossbar.

The fact that none of PSG's starting four were involved in even any of the goals will be cause for concern – even if Gonçalo Ramos' impending return from injury goes some way to easing those concerns. But Luis Enrique's men are unlikely to have the striker for next week's important Champions League match in Bavaria. Will one of the team's makeshift false nines be able to step up?

PSG player ratings

Matvey Safonov, 6

Achraf Hakimi, 6

Milan Škriniar, 6

Lucas Beraldo, 7

Yoram Zague, 4 – The 18-year-old made his first start since Matchday 1, replacing the injured Nuno Mendes for the evening. He wasn't involved much, but made a number of interceptions along the way, while also missing several tackles. Replaced at half-time by Vitinha, with Neves as left back.

Warren Zaire-Emery, 6 – One of the Frenchman's more complete performances this season – highlighted by a sprint back to deny Aboukhlal a one-on-one chance against Safonov (although this was immediately followed by a misplaced pass that gave Sabicka a chance to score).

João Neves, 8 – The Paris Saint-Germain player continues to stand out so far. Scored a volley from the edge of the box in the first half – one of the few highlights of the evening – before making an admirable switch to left-back in the second half.

Désiré Doué, 3 – Little impact in the hour he played, apart from a blocked shot from outside the penalty area and contributing to the build-up to Zaire-Emery's disallowed goal. The 19-year-old was deployed in a more central role as a playmaker, but was largely unable to break through Toulouse's defense and lost the ball too often to combine meaningfully with the front three. Replaced by Kang-in Lee for the last half hour of the match.

Ousmane Dembele, 4

Marco Asensio, 3

Bradley Barcola, 4

Toulouse selected player ratings

Guillaume Restes, 6 – The 19-year-old shot stopper did well to keep the score down, making five saves throughout the match. The two late goals made the scoreline an unfair reflection of his efforts.

Yann Gboho, 4

Joshua King, 3

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from the Parc des Princes