This archive report was first published on 21 August 2021.
Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria were among the scorers as the team won 4-2 away at Brest on Friday, securing their third consecutive victory in Ligue 1.
Despite the absence of Lionel Messi and Neymar, PSG's attack remained potent, with Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gana Gueye also finding the net.
The full house of 15,000 at the Stade Francis-Le Ble in Brittany were denied the chance to see Messi make his PSG debut, as he was left out of the squad due to fitness concerns.
Neymar, who had returned to training late after participating in the Copa America final, was also absent, but PSG showed no signs of struggling without their superstars.
However, PSG's defending left much to be desired, with coach Mauricio Pochettino likely to have concerns about the team's defensive solidity.
"I prefer to win, but if I could choose a result, I would prefer to win without conceding a goal," Pochettino said.
Italy's Euro 2020 goalkeeping hero Gianluigi Donnarumma made his debut for PSG, but was left on the bench as Keylor Navas started in goal.
Donnarumma's fellow European champion, Marco Verratti, played for the first time this season in midfield, but skipper Marquinhos was still missing.
Mbappe has been a key player in PSG's opening league wins, setting up a total of four goals, and he continued to dominate the headlines in Paris as speculation surrounds his future.
PSG went ahead midway through the first half when Mbappe's clipped cross was cleared out to the edge of the area, where Herrera met the ball on the volley and scored.
Mbappe made it 2-0 in the 36th minute, arriving to head in his first goal of the season after Georginio Wijnaldum's shot had been blocked.
Brest got one back just before the break when Franck Honorat finished first-time after a fine back-heel lay-off by Romain Faivre.
However, Gueye appeared to put the game to bed when he made it 3-1 in the 73rd minute with a piledriver from 35 metres.
Yet Brest pulled another one back five minutes from time through Steve Mounie, and PSG were actually in danger of conceding an equaliser until the 90th minute when Di Maria broke downfield and scored with a delightful lob.
