Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. both scored hat-tricks as Paris Saint-Germain ran riot against Clermont Foot 63 on Saturday, winning 6-1 at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied.
Clermont Foot 63 1-6 Paris Saint-Germain
THE MATCH
PSG were looking to pick up where they left off in their 5-1 hammering of FC Lorient last weekend, and they got off to a great start as they took the lead just six minutes into their visit to Auvergne. With Clermont looking for a free-kick as Alidu Seidu lay on the ground in the box, Lionel Messi supplied Neymar and he blasted past Arthur Desmas to open the scoring.
Any hopes Clermont had of making a game of it against the runaway Ligue 1 leaders appeared over as the away side scored again in the 19th minute. Again Messi supplied the assist, and this time Mbappé was on the end of it to tuck the ball past Desmas, the Clermont goalkeeper making his first league start in five months.
However, Clermont were given hope as they reduced the deficit three minutes before half-time when Saîf-Eddine Khaoui’s ball across the face of goal was turned in by Jodel Dossou for his second of the season, and the score remained at 2-1 into half-time as Desmas saved from Neymar just prior to the interval.
Clermont - who had suspended coach Pascal Gastien watching from the stand - actually came close to equalising through Jason Berthomier just after the hour mark, but then PSG ran away with the game. Messi had a goal disallowed for an offside in the build-up before Mbappé was fouled in the box by Akim Zedadka with 20 minutes remaining, and Neymar tucked home the resulting penalty to restore the visitors’ two-goal advantage.
Neymar then released Mbappé with a ball over the top with the outside of his boot in the 74th minute, and the France superstar rounded Desmas to score his second and PSG’s fourth goal. His hat-trick goal followed soon after, with Neymar and Messi combining this time to set up Mbappé, who thumped home his 31st goal of the season in all competitions (80’). Mbappé then broke the offside trap to run through and square for Neymar to complete a hat-trick of his own in the 83rd minute.
It was the Brazilian’s first hat-trick in a Ligue 1 game since he put four past Dijon FCO in January 2018. PSG are now provisionally 15 points clear at the top of the table and, with the Classique against Olympique de Marseille to come next weekend, it is looking more and more likely that they will have the title secured before the end of this month.
THE PLAYER: Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé scored twice and set up three goals against Lorient last weekend and he was in irresistible form again here. His hat-trick leaves him on 31 goals for the season in all competitions, with 20 in Ligue 1. He also had an assist and he won the penalty which Neymar converted in the second half. He really may well be the best player in the world just now.
THE STAT: 5
This was Clermont’s fifth consecutive league defeat, but they will finish the weekend still outside the relegation zone.
