Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) needed some luck and some character to hold off a stubborn Brest side in their Ligue 1 encounter at home to extend their unbeaten run in the league to six games.
Neymar scored the only goal of the game for the hosts who needed Gianluigi Donnarumma to save a penalty to secure all three points for his side.
PSG got off to a sluggish start and wasted several chances as Brest held firm despite being facing far superior opposition. The visitors were lucky not to be reduced to 10 men when Christophe Herelle was shown a red card for bringing down Neymar, but a review made the referee reverse his decision as the PSG forward was offside before the tackle.
It counted for little as the Brazilian managed to find the net minutes later in the 30th minute when Lionel Messi delivered another perfect ball over the defence which the forward controlled before dispatching it into the back of the net.
The hosts continued to dominate and both Messi and Kylian Mbappe squandered clear opportunities on either side of halftime keeping Brest within touching distance.
Their efforts paid off when the 17th-placed side was awarded a spot-kick Presnel Kimpembe fouled Noah Fadiga in the penalty area in the 70th minute. But Slimani’s tame effort was kept out by Donnarumma to secure three points for his side.
Despite not being at their best, the victory extended PSG’s winning run against Brest to 12 games.
