PSG feel absence of Lionel Messi and Neymar in defeat by Ligue 1 rivals Lens

Lens inflicted Paris St Germain’s first defeat of of the season (Thibault Camus/AP)

A Paris St Germain side missing Lionel Messi and Neymar suffered their first defeat of the season as they lost 3-1 to nearest Ligue 1 rivals Lens.

With their Argentinian World Cup winner still to return from celebrations in his homeland and Neymar serving a ban for his red card on Wednesday it was left to Kylian Mbappe, as the one star forward present, to lead the line.

But even he was upstaged as it was Hugo Ekitike who scored PSG’s early equaliser to cancel out Przemyslaw Frankowski’s fifth-minute opener.

France Soccer League One — Kylian Mbappe could not inspire a PSG side missing Lionel Messi and Neymar in a 3-1 defeat by nearest rivals Lens (Thibault Camus/AP)

However, that was not enough to stop second-placed Lens as further goals from Lois Openda and, early in the second half, Alex Claude-Maurice saw the home side cut PSG’s lead at the top to just four points.

Monaco moved into fourth place with a 1-0 win at home to Brest courtesy of Aleksandr Golovin’s 54th-minute goal.

Lyon’s stuttering form continues post-World Cup as the seventh-placed side lost 1-0 to Clermont after midfielder Muhammed-Cham Saracevic’s converted an 87th-minute penalty.