Home Football Kylian Mbappe scored a solo masterpiece when PSG defeated Toulouse 2-0 in the French Super Cup match on the evening of January 3

Kylian Mbappe scored a solo masterpiece when PSG defeated Toulouse 2-0 in the French Super Cup match on the evening of January 3

Football — 01/04/2024

*Scorer: Lee Kang-in 3′, Mbappe 44′.

Fielding a strong squad and playing at home, PSG did not encounter any difficulties. They dominated and finished off their opponents in the first half. Korean striker Lee Kang-in soon put PSG ahead, then Mbappe doubled the gap before the break. The victory brought Luis Enrique his first title as PSG coach.

 

The first victory in 2024 also continued PSG’s impressive streak of performance since the end of last year. In fact, Enrique and his team started the 2023-2024 season quite slowly. But they went eight consecutive unbeaten matches in all competitions before the winter break. If counting Ligue 1 alone, PSG has not lost since September 16. This helps Enrique and his team return to the top of the table with a gap of five points compared to second team Nice.

 

It rained heavily on the Parc des Princes field when the ball started rolling, but it did not dampen the home team’s spirit. In the third minute, from Ousmane Dembele’s cross, Lee Kang-in rushed to cushion the ball in an unmarked position. The Toulouse defenders gravitated towards Mbappe and completely forgot about Lee. The Korean striker became the earliest scorer in a French Super Cup match since Hatem Ben Arfa in 2005.

 

Toulouse played well, creating quality responses after the goal. Notably, defender Gabriel Suazo missed the post in a good position when Thijs Dallinga shot against the post at a tight angle. Having squandered these opportunities, the away team paid the price at the end of the half. Mbappe showed his class with a solo run into the penalty area before finishing close-quarters, leaving goalkeeper Guillaume Restes unable to react.

 

Played hard at the beginning of the second half but luck continued to elude Toulouse. The opportunity opened up for Cristian Casseres after a free kick with Dallinga, but he finished wide. Immediately afterwards, PSG responded with a free kick that hit the post from Achraf Hakimi. The two teams created more opportunities in the remainder of the match but neither side scored more goals.

PSG ended the match with 65% of the ball control. However, the away team has reason to think they deserve better results. Toulouse launched 17 shots in the whole match, three more than PSG, but could not penetrate the opponent’s goal.