Paris St Germain gained a much-needed three points in the Champions League with a comfortable 3-0 win over RB Salzburg.
Goncalo Ramos tapped in the opener before full-back Nuno Mendes’ second-half strike clinched the points.
Desire Doue scored his first Champions League goal and Lucas Hernandez returned from a long-term injury as PSG moved into the play-off places.
Ousmane Dembele missed out through suspension while PSG – who went into the game with a disappointing four points from their first five matches, just one more than their opponents – replaced young midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery with Joao Neves.
What a feeling 🥹 pic.twitter.com/jm7Xb66HLc
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 10, 2024
Missing top scorer Karim Konate, injured in the 5-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in their last Champions League game, and Kamil Piatkowski, Salzburg included Petar Ratkov up front and captain Amar Dedic in central defence.
Salzburg had been almost out of the game against Leverkusen after falling two down inside 11 minutes but goalkeeper Alexander Schlager kept them on terms at the equivalent point in this game with a sharp double save from Achraf Hakimi’s ferocious drive and Ramos’ follow-up header. The keeper then fielded Vitinha’s effort.
Ramos was crowded out from another close-range chance but made the inevitable breakthrough on the half-hour, stretching to poke home from a yard after Hakimi nodded down Bradley Barcola’s cross.
Ramos sent a header wide and Barcola dinked too casually across the face of goal from Fabian Ruiz’s through-ball. Schlager bizarrely chested Mendes’ cross away from Ramos in the six-yard box as half-time somehow arrived with no further score.
Doue replaced Ramos as goalmouth chances dwindled in the second half and the replacement had a hand in the second goal.
Barcola played Doue in on the left of the penalty area and he cut the ball back for the marauding Mendes to stab into the top corner.
Vitinha’s lofted ball was too deep for Mendes to either steer on target or pick out Doue.
France full-back Hernandez replaced Mendes for a 10-minute cameo, his first action since recovering from a torn ACL, and shanked a teasing Salzburg free-kick just wide of his own goal with his first touch.
Doue slammed home a late third after Hakimi stormed forward, played a one-two with Lee Kang-in and unselfishly laid the ball off.
Underworked PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma brilliantly cut out Aleksa Terzic’s cross from the left, with Dorgeles Nene lurking, with the final action of stoppage time to preserve his clean sheet.
