Neymar strikes as PSG up and running under Tuchel

PARIS: Neymar scored his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain since February as the French champions kicked off the new Ligue 1 season with a 3-0 defeat of Caen on Sunday.

The Brazilian star, who scored 19 times in 20 league games before fracturing his foot last season, struck just 10 minutes into his first start for the club in almost six months.

Adrien Rabiot netted a second for PSG before halftime and Timothy Weah, the son of 1995 Ballon d’Or winner and Liberia president George Weah, rounded out the victory with his first league goal.

Gianluigi Buffon also produced a couple of sharp saves on his home bow in goal for PSG as coach Thomas Tuchel made a winning start at the Parc des Princes.

“We played a good match with lots of intensity, especially in the first half. In the second half we managed things a bit more because we’re not yet at 100 per cent,” PSG captain Thiago Silva said.

“Some players arrived late [for preseason] and are not ready, like myself for example. At the end of the match I had lots of cramps, but well done to all the team for the match we played today. We’re going to make more progress.”

German Tuchel, who replaced Unai Emery on a two-year deal, was without a host of first-team regulars as PSG’s trio of World Cup winners — Kylian Mbappe, Presnel Kimpembe and Alphonse Areola — showed off the trophy to fans before kick-off.

Edinson Cavani and Marco Verratti were also absent as Tuchel handed starts to youngsters Colin Dagba and Stanley N’Soki in defence, and fellow 19-year-old Antoine Bernede in midfield.

After appearing in a 15-minute cameo at the end of last weekend’s 4-0 rout of Monaco in the Champions Trophy in China, Neymar made a long-awaited return to the line-up in Paris.