Paris: Paris St Germain’s star-studded attack brushed off the absence of Neymar as Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe and substitute Angel Di Maria all got on the scoresheet in a comfortable 3-0 home win over Nimes in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
The champions left the 27-year-old Brazil forward out of their squad as he continues to be linked with a move away from the French capital, and PSG fans on the terraces waved banners containing messages to signal their displeasure with him.
PSG were awarded a penalty courtesy of VAR when referee Clement Turpin reviewed footage of a corner and deemed Nimes defender Pablo Martinez had handled the ball.
The Nimes players and coaches protested because the play was allowed to continue for more than a minute before the referee looked at the incident, but their complaints were to no avail and Cavani slammed home the spot-kick in the 24th minute.
Mbappe doubled the advantage 11 minutes into the second half, thumping a first-time shot into the top left corner, and Argentine winger Di Maria fired home a sweet left-foot strike in the 69th minute to complete the rout.
Earlier on Sunday, two goals from Lille striker Victor Osimhen secured a 2-1 win at home to Nantes, while Metz grabbed a point with a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg.
