Star signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his fifth goal of the season as Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse 2-0 in the French league on Friday night.

The Sweden striker tapped in from close range midway through the second half after Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore had given PSG the lead late in the first half. Ibrahimovic also scored both of PSG’s goals in a 2-1 win away to Lille on 2 September.

PSG, which drew its first three games, moved provisionally into third place with nine points ahead of this weekend’s matches.

“I think we played well tonight,” PSG coach Ancelotti said. “Our last two wins are good for confidence, and we will keep getting better.”

Also Friday, defending champion Montpellier lost 3-1 at Reims - its third defeat of the season.

“It was tough for us tonight, we can only regret what’s been happening lately,” Montpellier coach Rene Girard said.

Pastore struck in the 38th minute when he ran onto Marco Verratti’s lofted ball over the defence and lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Ali Ahamada as he rushed off his line.

Despite gritty defending from Toulouse, PSG gave itself some breathing space when France winger Jeremy Menez set up Ibrahimovic to score from close range in the 69th.

PSG spent around €150 million on new players to prepare its bid for domestic and European success, and Ibrahimovic has taken little time to settle since joining from Milan.