By Miko 
Paris Saint-Germain are looking lethal this season, and it seems nothing — not even the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid — can slow them down. On Saturday, they showed their clinical touch once again, overcoming an early scare to beat Brest 3-1.
Brest actually had a glimpse of hope when Romain Del Castillo slotted in a penalty, silencing the Parc des Princes crowd temporarily. But PSG, as they’ve done so often, bounced back in style. Ousmane Dembélé was the standout performer, bagging a brace to bring his goal tally up and confirm that he’s more than ready to step up as one of the club’s new attacking stars.
Fabian Ruiz also joined in on the fun. He hammered home a powerful strike in the 73rd minute. This effectively ended Brest’s hopes. Dembélé wrapped things up a minute later with his second goal, putting the game out of reach.
Despite missing out on their Champions League dream, PSG are undeniably the team to beat in the French league, and their 16 goals in four games highlight just how dangerous they are under Luis Enrique. With their European campaign looming, they’ll face Girona on Wednesday, looking to translate their domestic form onto the bigger stage.
Marseille Celebrates 125 Years With a Gritty Win
Meanwhile, Marseille celebrated their 125th anniversary in style with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Nice. New signing Neal Maupay was the man of the moment, scoring against the club where it all began for him.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Marseille struggled to create clear chances, and Nice were arguably the better team for large parts of the match. But football is often about moments, and Marseille took theirs when it mattered.
Maupay opened the scoring in the 40th minute, meeting a deflected cross from Luis Henrique to head past Nice keeper Marcin Bulka. The celebration was sweet for Maupay, who recently arrived on loan from Everton, and the goal was a reminder of his knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Nice could only look on in frustration as they rattled the woodwork not once but three times throughout the match. Melvin Bard’s first-half effort hit the post, and two more close calls after the break left Nice wondering how they didn’t at least find the back of the net.
Luis Henrique doubled Marseille’s lead early in the second half with a stunning curled effort after a lovely one-two with Amine Harit. Even with a late red card for center-back Derek Cornelius, Marseille held firm to see out the victory.
The win keeps Marseille just two points behind PSG, and while they may not have been at their best, grinding out results like this is what separates contenders from pretenders.
Monaco Keep Up the Pace With Convincing Win Over Auxerre
Elsewhere, Monaco proved they’re not to be overlooked this season with a commanding 3-0 win over Auxerre. Goals from Thilo Kehrer, Vanderson, and Denis Zakaria sealed a dominant performance for the Principality side.
Monaco capitalized on a howler from Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Leon early in the game when he fumbled Kehrer’s header into his own net. From there, it was a comfortable afternoon for Monaco, who punished Auxerre’s attempts to push forward with swift counter-attacks.
Zakaria was brilliant, not only scoring but also providing a delightful lofted assist for Vanderson to put the game beyond doubt. With Champions League action coming up next week, Monaco’s confidence couldn’t be higher as they head into their tie with Barcelona.
Paris may be the league’s top dog for now, but with Marseille and Monaco nipping at their heels, it promises to be an exciting title race this season. Stay tuned!