Tim Weah, the 18-year-old American, started at center forward alongside Neymar for PSG vs Guingamp on Saturday, a reward for scoring his first Ligue 1 goal a week earlier against Caen.
But with PSG shockingly trailing at halftime — and it could’ve been worse — Weah was replaced by World Cup star Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman, a relative elder at 19, saved the day with two late goals for a 3-1 win.
The first half did not go well for PSG. New goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was called into action early, needing to make a great save to keep the match scoreless in the 13th minute.
Guingamp then took the lead through some calamitous defending from PSG.
But pr @EAGuingamp signé Nolan #Roux !!! 1/0 !! #EAGPSG pic.twitter.com/DN1QcwzEPQ
— Genzo (@sct07) August 18, 2018
And it nearly got worse for PSG vs Guingamp when the home side had a goal disallowed for a slight foul in the buildup.
But at halftime, Weah was replaced by Mbappé. Not long later, Neymar drew and converted a penalty kick. While the Brazilian did embellish a bit, he was clearly hacked down. He then made no mistake burying the spot kick.
There’s something endearing about 40-year-old Buffon not being able to watch a penalty kick in an early season Ligue 1 match. Fortunately for the Italian, things got better from there for PSG vs Guingamp.
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute with two simple but perfect touches.
And because Mbappé can’t stop scoring, whether it’s the World Cup, Champions League or Ligue 1, he added one more for insurance.
The second was required a bit more skill: a wonderful display of touch, speed and finishing.
Despite a scare for PSG vs Guingamp, the French giants took all three points thanks to Mbappé.
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