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Paris Saint-Germain underlined their title credentials with a crushing 4-1 win over Metz at the Parc des Princes, as the Ligue 1 season got underway on Friday.
The capital club were inspired by their new signings - in particular the former Auxerre playmaker Bonaventure Kalou who ultimately proved too good for the Metz defence.
It was Kalou who broke the deadlock as early as the fifth minute when he rocketed a header underneath the crossbar after a Jérôme Rothen corner.
With David Rozehnal making a sound start in central defence after his transfer from Bruges, and Vikash Dhorasoo adding technical quality to midfield, PSG produced several classy passages and duly doubled their lead before the interval.
Again Kalou was at the heart of the goal, this time showing off his superb first touch and vision to release Edouard Cissé on the right side of the box, and the midfielder kept his cool and slid a shot past Grégory Wimbée.
Metz were playing their part, with Grégory Proment and Nasser Ouadah giving their fans plenty of encouragement for the new season by combining well in midfield.
But the game was effectively over three minutes after the break. Kalou found space on the right and struck a low cross early into the Metz box, allowing Rothen to apply a simple finish from close range.
The visitors threw on one of their summer signings, the South Korean Jung Hwhan Ahn, and he made an instant impact. The 2002 World Cup star struck home a right-footed shot on 69 minutes.
But it was PSG’s night and the home fans were given one final reason to cheer when Christophe Landrin, a summer recruit from Lille, came off the bench and headed home a fourth goal.
The cross was inevitably delivered by Kalou, who completed an outstanding debut with three assists and one goal.
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