After PSG netted seven in their UEFA Champions League away trip in midweek, Brest will have hoped the Parisians left their shooting boots at home. Luis Enrique’s men dominated the early moments of the first half, however, with over 80% possession.
However, it took until after the midway point of the half for their first real chance on goal, when Senny Mayulu was released down the right, but his shot was smothered by the onrushing Radoslaw Majecki.
The away side continued to probe and quickly raced to a 2-0 lead in quick succession. First, in the 29th minute, Vitinha played an inch-perfect lobbed pass to find Hakimi in the box, whose first-time side-footed finish nestled into the bottom left corner.
The Moroccan then netted a brace 10 minutes later after linking up with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before firing in from a tight angle, sending the Parisians into the break with a two-goal lead.
Brest came with renewed energy in the second half, yet the players were left outraged after Lee Kang-in handled the ball in the box, but the referee waved away the appeals, and the VAR agreed with the decision.
However, controversially, Jeremie Pignard was then called to review the decision again, this time via the pitchside monitor, and over five minutes after the handball, he awarded the home side a penalty kick.
After the lengthy decision, Romain Del Castillo stepped up and slipped just as he was about to connect with the ball, and his unfortunate spot-kick ended with an embarrassing miss.
That penalty miss took the wind out of Brest’s sails as they struggled to get back into the contest, and combined with multiple substitutions, it became a stop-start affair.
Enrique’s men resumed control and ensured they saw out the final half-hour with little trouble, putting up a strong defensive display which prevented the hosts from hitting the target in the second half until the 88th minute when Lucas Chevalier was finally called into action to save from Mama Balde’s effort.
Desire Doue added a bit of gloss on the scoreline in stoppage time in a win that lifts PSG back to the summit ahead of Olympique de Marseille’s visit to Lens tonight, while Brest remain in the bottom half of the table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
