PARIS (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain registered their first win of the Ligue 1 season by beating Valenciennes 2-1 on Sunday, as French record signing Javier Pastore made his long-awaited home debut.

Victory took PSG into the top half of the table, but they already trail early pace-setters Montpellier by five points after Rene Girard’s side secured a third straight win by crushing Rennes 4-0.

PSG toiled amid stifling 32 degrees Celsius heat at Parc des Princes and had goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu to thank for denying Gaetan Bong after the Valenciennes defender ambled into the PSG box mid-way through the first half.

The hosts went in front in the 39th minute, with Kevin Gameiro running on to Jeremy Menez’s subtle pass before lifting the ball over Nicolas Penneteau.

Their lead did not survive until the half-time interval, however, as Remi Gomis drew the visitors level with a header from Renaud Cohade’s inviting right-wing cross.

Pastore, a 42 million-euro ($60m) acquisition from Palermo, came on as a substitute shortly before the hour and quickly had the fans on their feet with an elegant pirouette to elude two defenders near the right-hand corner flag.

Their tails up, PSG won a penalty when David Ducourtioux was penalised for handling Nene’s cross and Nene converted the spot-kick himself, slamming the ball into the bottom-right corner to restore the hosts’ lead.

Cohade let PSG off the hook by wastefully lifting the ball over the bar in the 76th minute, as television cameras caught sporting director Leonardo puffing out his cheeks in a gesture that adequately expressed PSG’s relief.

“It was a really important victory,” said PSG coach Antoine Kombouare, who had come under pressure after a 1-0 loss to Lorient and a 1-1 draw at Rennes.

“People were expecting things from us and we absolutely had to win. A hard-earned victory lets you see the mental strength of a team.”

On Pastore, he added: “He needs time. He brings his ability to carry the ball, to make the right decisions and to take things forward.”

Montpellier led through Younes Belhanda’s 31st-minute penalty when Geoffrey Dernis made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half, exploiting space on the edge of the box to send a dipping left-footed shot beyond Benoit Costil.

With Rennes wilting in the heat, substitute Souleymane Diawara killed the game off with a brace of strikes in the last 20 minutes that owed much to the laxity in the visiting defence.

Sunday’s other afternoon kick-off saw Sochaux win 2-1 at Nancy despite the absence of striker Modibo Maiga, who is seeking to force through a move to Newcastle United.

Marseille, seeking a first win of the season, host Saint-Etienne in Sunday’s late game.

A spectacular overhead bicycle kick in the last minute from 19-year-old substitute Adrien Regattin saw second-placed Toulouse rescue a 1-1 draw at Nice on Saturday that maintained their unbeaten record.

Champions Lille recorded their first win of the season with a 2-1 success at Caen, while Lyon overcame the dismissal of Ligue 1 debutant Sidy Kone to register a 1-1 draw at Brest.