It’s so much easier when you score nice and early. Those must have been the thoughts of Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino when his midfielder Idrissa Gueye hit his great opening goal against Montpellier on Saturday night. But he must have also been very careful because his team let their lead slip a few days previously in their game at Metz, only to go chasing the winning goal. That day, they succeeded – but the Argentine would have preferred a no-fuss, low-drama win.The Parisians may give their coach an easy win one of these days – but it wasn’t today. The home crowd in Paris watched their team struggle to build on Gueye’s first-half strike with Montpellier looking to get something out of the game. After surviving the opening 30 or so minutes with only a single-goal deficit, the visitors started to play with belief that they could indeed upset the star-studded team from the capital.FULL-TIME: @PSG_English 2-0 Montpellier HSC The Parisians make it 8⃣/8⃣ in the league! ✅ 🔴 𝐈𝐂𝐈 𝐂’𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 🔵#Ligue1 | #PSGMHSC pic.twitter.com/LK2WPUeDkk— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 25, 2021 Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were again the main threats of the home side, with Lionel Messi watching on from the stands. The late introduction of Julian Draxler proved to be a masterstroke as the German midfielder scored the second goal mere seconds after coming on to finally ensure the points and allow the home fans to relax. It may have happened late in the game, but Pochettino will certainly be thankful. PSG have got a serious test of their abilities coming up next week – with Manchester City providing the opposition in the UEFA Champions League. Montpellier have been far to forgiving – which most certainly cannot be expected of Pep Guardiola’s team. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##Elswhere in the French top tier, there were wins for LOSC Lille and a poor home draw for Lyon. Lille have won every single Ligue 1 game in which their Canadian star Jonathan David has found the net, a remarkable record that continued on Saturday as his brace secured a 2-1 victory at Strasbourg.David converted from a Timothy Weah cutback to open the scoring midway through the first half and he then sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 57th minute after United States international Weah had been brought down in the box. Ibrahima Sissoko pulled a goal back, but it was too little, too late for the Ligue 1 new boys as reigning champions Lille grabbed their second straight win.LIGUE 1 – Round 8Saturday:Saint-Etienne – Nice 0-3 (0-1) /Gouiri 15, Stengs 54, Delort 83/Strasbourg – Lille 1-2 (0-1)/Sissoko 75 – David 23, 57 pen/Lyon v Lorient 1-1 (0-1)/Ekambi 50 – Lauriente 20/Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier 2-0 (1-0)/Gueye 14, Draxler 89/Sunday14.00: (3.40) Bordeaux (3.25) Rennes (2.35)16.00: (2.05) Brest (3.50) Metz (3.90)16.00: (2.80) Troyes (2.90) Angers (3.05)16.00: (2.60) Reims (3.00) Nantes (3.25)18.00: (3.80) Clermont (3.50) Monaco (2.10)21.45: (1.80) Olympique Marseille (3.70) Lens (5.00)***odds are subject to change
