Paris Saint-Germain won a quarter without a response to its host Nimes, who completed the match with ten players, including a double by Kylian Mbappe, to take the defending

champion to the top of the Ligue 1 league for football before facing Manchester United at the start of his Champions League campaign.

Mbappe opened the scoring before the break and joined Alessandro Florenti and Pablo Sarabia in scoring three goals in the last 12 minutes, to lift Saint Germain's tally to 15 points from seven games.

Saint-Germain are on goal difference at the top of Stade Rennes, who drew 1-1 with bottom-ranked Dijon.

Nim, who is 13th with eight points, played 10 men after 12 minutes after Loic Landry received a red card.

Saint-Germain lost the efforts of Leandro Paredes, who replaced Ander Herrera, due to a thigh injury before Landry was sent off for a violent intervention on Ravinia.

Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, but Saint-Germain missed Neymar's creative touch after the coach rested him after his return from national duty with Brazil.

But Nimes did not pose any danger to his opponent, and although Saint-Germain missed Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria's efforts to stop, Marco Verratti and Juan Bernat injured, he dominated the match.

Italian international Florenti, on loan from Roma, doubled the lead in the 78th minute with a header before Mbappe hit the net again five minutes later after a wonderful work from Sarabia.

The Spaniard completed the quartet two minutes before the end after Italian Moise Keane, on loan from Everton, hit the crossbar with a header in his first game for St. Germain.

Earlier, Martin Terrier put Stade Rennes ahead midway through the first half before Mama Bald equalized after the break.

Thierer scored Rennes' goal with a low shot in the 24th minute, as the visiting team sank early.

But Balad just scored nine minutes into the second half with a right-footed shot from inside the area.

Rennes, who will kick off his Champions League campaign against Krasnodar on Tuesday, came close to clinching the match in his favor and collecting the three points six minutes before the end, but Flavian Tate's shot hit the crossbar.

Dijon remained at the bottom of the standings with two points.

Source: Agencies

By:Nadeemy Haded