Neymar's home debut

My first game of Ligue 1 and it's one that I certainly won't forget for a while. Goals, red cards, debut goals from the most expensive player in the world and a loanee from Bournemouth. Here's my match report on an incredible match.

Well... where to start? The start of the match, that's where to start.

After the eruption from the home faithful when Neymar's name was read out, you knew Neymar's home debut was going to be something to remember. The crowd were up for it, the players were up for it, and Neymar being Neymar, was obviously going to try and impress.

The game kicked off and, as you'd expect, it was PSG who began on the front foot. However as PSG pressed so well, they failed to take their opportunities with poor decision making from Alves and golden boy Neymar wasting some very presentable opportunities. The two then combined, with a cross from Alves finding Neymar somehow in acres of space, WAS IT GOING TO BE THE MOMENT? No. As the ball came to him he got under it just a bit and fired it over the bar. Not an easy chance, but very presentable nonetheless.

The crowd got their first sense of Neymar's quality as he floated an inch perfect pass to Edinson Cavani who was through on goal, but he got caught in two minds. Sqaure it to Kurzawa, or shoot? He did neither and ended up passing it to the goalkeeper.

Now it's about time I mentioned Toulouse in this, as it's all been about PSG and Neymar really. Kelvin Amian gets a rare break down the right hand side, breezes past Kurzawa, chips it to the backpost, and a certain Bournemouth loanee Max Gradel is there to tuck it away past the PSG goalkeeper Areola. 1-0 Toulouse. Not the left winger making a debut that we expected to score. Seems like someone didn't read the script...

But it's okay because the script was amended as Neymar finds Rabiot after a jinking run into the box, his shot is saved, only for it to parry to who else, but Neymar. The golden boy scores, the crowd erupt in delight, only for him to dedicate his celebration to a departing Matuidi... Strange one that.

Anyway, the Toulouse lead didn't last long and that was put to bed a few minutes later as on the 35 minute mark, roles reversed, as Neymar found Rabiot who smashed in a low driven shot into the bottom right hand corner from 25 yards. A cracking goal to give PSG a deserved lead. But it could've, and should've been 3 before halftime as Cavani was put through and curled an absolute peach into the top corner from the left edge of the area. But it was ruled out, incorrectly, for offside. And that's how the half finished.

The second half began, but it wasn't as exciting as the first. Toulouse just sat back and absorbed the PSG pressure, and a couple of Neymar skills was all there was to shout about really. Until...

A ball dropped to a Toulouse defender and it was a race between him and Marco Verrati for the ball. He won it, but as Verrati slid in, he missed the ball. And as he was already booked, it was the first red card at the Parc de Princes for PSG. With the score only at 2-1, and PSG without their main midfielder, Toulouse sensed a chance. That's where they were wrong, however.

After Cavani missed a great one on one chance to seal the game, Neymar got brought down in the box by the striker Delort, and although it seemed like he got the ball, he did get Neymar too, penalty. While everyone was shouting at their TV's to put Neymar on it, they didn't want to go past midnight with his run up speed so they gave it to Cavani who hit it with conviction into the bottom left hand corner. 3-1, with 15 minutes left, surely it's game over.

However Toulouse weren't giving up just yet as 3 minutes later, they win a corner and Jean crosses it in, then the Toulouse centre back Jullien leaps highest to head home, off the back of Thiago Silva's head. It was also very interesting to note the unusual corner technique as they all ran in from the edge of the area allowing great momentum on the header. Could an incredible comeback be on?

Unfortunately minutes later, those dreams were scuppered as PSG score yet another superb goal as the substitute Pastore finds himself free on the edge of the area and places it perfectly into the top corner. 4-2 and with around 10 minutes to go, PSG look all but safe.

But of course PSG always want to be sure of the victory as Neymar drives in a very unusual corner being a powerful, rising corner. Cavani cleverly moved out of the way diverting the defender away, and Layun Kurzawa of all people, first time, attempts an overhead kick and the ball is sent flying into the net. The goal of the night, so far, and if Neymar hadn't taken away all the attention, this would've got many more plaudits. However, the less said about the Toulouse defense, the better, because it was quite clear they had already given up.

And now, up step Neymar Jr. Who after humiliating Jean rainbow flicking the ball over his head and being fouled, he went on another run going past two PSG players and laying it off to Pastore. He received it back and took all the plaudits away from Kurzawa. As it looked like he had ran himself into trouble, he wriggled past three, yes three players, and with a bit of luck, kept the ball, turned his back to another Toulouse defender, and on the turn, shot and scored. An incredible goal, to top off an incredible home debut from Neymar. 

There came the full-time whistle putting Toulouse out of their misery in what wasn't an enjoyable evening for the away side. On the other hand though, it was an emphatic win for PSG who have won all their first games, and I'm sure they will continue to do so in the near future.

MOTM: Neymar 

Who else but the golden boy for this PSG team, Neymar. After a scintillating and skillful show of how to play football, Neymar put the Toulouse players in their place with some incredible quick feet, hidden passes, and clinical finishing. After getting two goals, an assist, and winning the penalty, the Toulouse defenders will be happy they won't have to face him again for another couple of months. Unless they get PSG in the cup of course, eek.