Staff Reporter.
Kyllian Mbappe missed a first-half penalty and scored one of the simplest goals of his career a few minutes later as Paris Saint-Germain unconvincingly beat Strasbourg 2-1 to remain top of Ligue 1 on Friday.
Alaa Bellaarouch kept out the forward’s early spot-kick, but then allowed Marco Asensio to charge down his clearance and tee up Mbappe for the opener.
It was the France international’s 20th league goal this season.
Mbappe repaid the favour with a cross for Asensio to add a 49th-minute second, before Dilane Bakwa responded.
Strasbourg pressed for an equaliser in the final 20 minutes but were unable to find a way past Gianluigi Donnarumma for a second time.
“If we analyse the match from the beginning, it’s a good match against a strong rival, in good form, especially at home,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said.
“We had a very positive mentality; when we needed to defend, we did it. Our goal is also to control the matches and know how to defend.”
The result also ended Strasbourg’s six-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
The win takes PSG nine points clear of Nice having played a game more than their nearest rivals, who visit third-placed Brest on Sunday, while Strasbourg stay 10th.