Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) era under their new coach got off to an auspicious start with a 4-0 hammering of Nantes in the French Super Cup.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, and Neymar (twice) got onto the scoresheet at the Bloomfield Stadium to give Christophe Galtier his first trophy in his first official game in charge.
Galtier has replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the role after he was let go due to a string of underwhelming performances.
PSG never felt the absence of Mbappe from the squad for the Super Cup Final thanks to an inspired performance by Messi and Neymar.
The Argentine opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after a through ball from Neymar which allowed him to round the goalkeeper and net from a tight angle. Neymar himself got in on the act after curling a free kick on the stroke of half-time.
Sergio Ramos, who spent most of last season out injured after his move from Real Madrid, added the third with an audacious backheel from close range in the 57th minute to seal the game before Neymar added an 82nd-minute penalty, which he won himself, to seal the rout.
It was the ninth time in 10 years that the Parisians had won the traditional season-opening clash between the Ligue 1 champions and the French Cup winners, which has been regularly played outside of the country over the last decade.
