Neymar Anonymous as PSG Beat St.-Etienne 3-0 in Ligue 1 Action

Paris Saint-Germain continued their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season on Friday, beating Saint-Etienne 3-0 at the Parc des Princes. Summer signing Neymar didn't stand out, but attacking partner Edinson Cavani did.         

The former Napoli man gave Les Parisiens the lead from the penalty spot in the 20th minute, and Thiago Motta doubled the advantage after the break. Cavani added a third goal in the 89th minute to put the match on ice.

Here's a look at the starting XI for PSG:

Per ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson, a special guest was on hand for the ceremonial kick-off in Paris:

The first chance of the match fell to the visitors, as Saidy Janko fired a shot over the bar, but overall, the game started at a leisurely pace. Les Verts did an excellent job of limiting space down the centre, and Neymar didn't see much time on the ball.

That changed after 19 minutes, however, when Janko made a reckless foul on Cavani, who was trying to reach a pass from the Brazilian. The Uruguay international converted the spot-kick himself to give Les Parisiens the lead, per Goal's Robin Bairner:

The goal seemed to liberate PSG and Neymar, who entertained the crowd with a first piece of skill and a clever nutmeg after 22 minutes. But Les Verts mustered chances as well, and only a great save from goalkeeper Alphonse Areola denied Jonathan Bamba an equaliser.

Janko and Loic Perrin both lacked the accuracy to threaten Areola, but St.-Etienne were the better team at the half.

PSG's defence seemed to have things under control, however. As Squawka Football shared, Les Verts had issues with efficiency:

Every fan in the stadium held their breath when Neymar went down clutching his ankle early in the second half, but after some minor treatment, he was able to continue. 

PSG dominated possession early in the second half and found another breakthrough after 51 minutes, this time through Motta. Neymar fired a free-kick into the box, Marquinhos chested the ball down, and the midfielder took care of the rest.

The pace of the match dropped after the second goal, as PSG were happy to see things out and Les Verts were seemingly powerless to hit back.

Kamil Zihnioglu/Associated Press

Layvin Kurzawa threatened with a header in the 60th minute, and Angel Di Maria went close with a free-kick in the 66th, hitting the post. Areola preserved his clean sheet with a routine save on Bamba, and Cavani missed a huge chance, blasting over from close range.

Les Parisiens went looking for more goals late, with Julian Draxler even making an appearance, but Cavani eventually doubled his tally, courtesy of a sensational cross from Thomas Meunier.