The Parisians extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 with the win, opening up a five-point lead on nearest rivals Lille. Brazilian Neymar was taken off in the 91st minute with the game won, and he appeared to be taking his time to come off.
It sparked claims that he was unhappy with boss Thomas Tuchel’s decision.But the £200m man insisted this was not the case, as he met a crying fan on his way off the field, giving him his shirt.
“They even thought I asked to wait a little, but no,” he said. “I went to apologise for the wrong pass I gave to Thomas [Meunier]. Of course, no player likes to leave the game, but now this isn’t the case for me to be angry at having left the pitch today, it’s even good for me to recover for the next game. I am happy with the affection I receive when playing away, even more when it’s from a kid, it’s more natural, it’s something very pure, so whenever I can I will do everything to return the affection I receive.”
It was a shaky start for the champions as they went behind within the first 15 minutes from an Adrien Rabiot own goal. Angel Di Maria produced a sensational strike to level the game just before half time, hitting a first-time effort into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
Neymar set up Thomas Meunier for his side’s second, having played Edinson Cavani through in similar style minutes before. Neymar started on the left wing at the Stade de la Route de Lorient, though he insisted that he can play wherever he is needed.
“In the middle there are even more players than on the flanks. It was our coach’s strategy,” he explained.“And he thinks I have the quality to play in the middle, and he put me there and we turned the game around. I think it’s because of the players we have in our team. Di Maria, Kylian Mbappe and other players that play on the wings. And he sees that I have the quality to play in the middle.
“I’ve played like that in Santos, in Barcelona, so for me, it’s not a problem at all.
“The relationship [with Tuchel] is good. He is a young coach who has his way of playing, of training, and we really like how he trains and talks to the players, and I hope that with his work we can have a great season.”