Injury-hit Paris St-Germain went top of Ligue 1 with a thrilling 3-2 win at struggling Metz.
Goncalo Ramos and Quentin Ndjantou put PSG 2-0 up before Metz midfielder Jessy Deminguet halved the deficit just before half-time with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area.
PSG substitute Desire Doue struck just after the hour mark before Metz’s Giorgi Tsitaishvili set up a frantic finish with an 81st-minute rocket that made it 3-2.
PSG manager Luis Enrique could not call upon Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos because of injury, but teenage wingers Ibrahim Mbaye (17) and Ndjantou (18) showed why they are so highly rated.
The two combined for PSG’s second goal when Mbaye beat his full-back and produced a low cross from the left that Ndjantou converted on the slide for his first goal in senior football.
Doue was introduced at half-time having recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in October, and marked his return to league action with a smart one-on-one finish past Metz goalkeeper Jonathan Fischer.
Mbaye was denied a breakaway goal by the crossbar, before Doue’s follow-up was well saved.
Tsitaishvili’s strike into the top corner after a give-and-go with Gauthier Hein was arguably the goal of the night, but it mattered little as PSG saw out the victory.
Lens will reclaim top spot in Ligue 1 if they defeat Nice on Sunday. Metz remain bottom of the table with 11 points after 16 games.
