"Neymar defo has a penalty clause", "I thought Mbappe was the penalty taker" - PSG fans react as Neymar continues glorious start with extremely well-taken penalty goal against Monaco
Neymar Jr. appears to have taken over penalty duties at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from Kylian Mbappe against Monaco on Sunday, August 28.
The 30-year-old forward appeared to be fouled in the area against Monaco in their latest Ligue 1 clash, but the referee waved the appeal away. The official was soon asked to check the pitchside monitor by VAR and PSG were eventually awarded a spot-kick.
Unlike in recent weeks, there was no doubt who would be taking the penalty, as Neymar stepped up ahead of Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The winger began his trademark slow run-up before firing into the bottom corner past Alexander Nubel, who enjoyed a stunning evening in goal.
The goal brought PSG level following Kevin Volland's opener after 20 minutes, as Monaco held on to take a point away from the Parc des Princes.
The result ended the Parisians' perfect start to Ligue 1, as Christophe Galtier dropped his first points in charge of the club. Tempers flared after the full-time whistle as the hosts were clearly frustrated to drop points in the French capital.
After the game, supporters took to Twitter to discuss the club's penalty situation and who should be taking them.
According to Transfermarkt, Neymar has scored 71 of the 86 penalties he has taken throughout his illustrious career.
Mbappe infamously missed his most recent spot-kick at the start of the season in their 5-2 win over Montpellier. Neymar took the second penalty in the game and scored and many fans now feel that the Brazilian should be the first-choice taker.
They took to Twitter to share their opinions:
Christophe Galtier insists Neymar and Mbappe are on the same page after PSG penalty scrap
During their convincing victory over Montpellier earlier this season, Mbappe appeared to be extremely unhappy that his teammate was about to take a penalty.
The France international forward had missed a spot-kick earlier in the clash. The incident reportedly caused huge tension in the PSG dressing room.
However, Galtier has denied rumors that the pair are at logger heads, as the 55-year-old boss told ESPN:
"There is no discomfort, it's fine. Of course, we quickly met the next day to iron out all that and say what we had to say to each other. That's why there is no malaise and I confirm it with a lot of sincerity, we had a very pleasant week of work where everyone worked to prepare the match against Lille."
The Bazillian has enjoyed a stunning start to the season, with six goals and six assists in his four top-flight games so far.