Kylian Mbappe and Neymar starred as Paris Saint-Germain took LOSC Lille to the cleaners in a dominant 7-1 win at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Paris Saint-Germain have started their 2022/23 campaign in style and have shown no signs of letting off following a 7-1 thrashing of Lille. The result is extremely significant given that Les Dogues were the last side not named PSG to win the Ligue 1 title.
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar linked up to wreak havoc and leave Lille stunned. The former got PSG off to a flying start by scoring in the very first minute. Lionel Messi made it two soon before Achraf Hakimi and Neymar put the game to bed.
Les Parisiens did not let off after the break and continued bombarding the home goal. Neymar scored his second of the night in the 52nd minute before Mbappe scored twice to secure his first hat-trick of the season. Jonathan Bamba found the back of the net for Lille in the 54th minute, but it was merely a consolation. This makes it three wins out of three for the defending champions in Ligue 1 this season.
The scoreline, to an extent, does flatter PSG as Lille did have a real go and even managed to put away more shots on target. In the end, the defending champions’ quality shone through, with their clinical front three making the difference.
3 – Paris are the first team in Ligue 1 history to score at least three goals in six consecutive away games. Deluge. #LOSCPSG pic.twitter.com/0d97ziu9GS
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) August 21, 2022
PSG now sit pretty at the top of the table, scoring 17 goals in just three games. They will take some stopping and have taken their game to another level. Christophe Galtier appears to have found the way to get the best out of his attacking trio and so far, the rest of Ligue 1 have no solution to it. The Hard Tackle looks at how the PSG players fared on the night.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: 8/10
Though the scoreline might suggest otherwise, Donnarumma had a rather busy night, with Lille producing ten shots on goal. The Italian international was up for the challenge and was rock solid between the sticks. Donnarumma’s lone sore spot was not keeping a clean sheet, but it did not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Presnel Kimpembe: 7/10
The French defender enjoyed a decent night out, keeping his own and keeping Lille at bay. He also made use of the pace in his legs to recover well and rise to the occasion.
Marquinhos: 8/10
The Brazilian anchored his side well, even though Lille applied constant pressure. Marquinhos did not just organise his backline well but also read the game well, stopping the Lille attackers in their tracks. While he could have done better for Bamba’s goal, the Brazilian cannot be faulted for what was a nearly flawless performance.
Sergio Ramos: 7/10
The Spanish veteran earned himself an early yellow card with a tackle on Bamba. He did not show his usual assertiveness and looked shaky at times. While he did not make any standout errors, Ramos was also muted in bringing the ball out of defence. He was easily the poorest of PSG’s back three.
Achraf Hakimi: 8/10
The Moroccan international was imperious down the right flank and linked up well with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Hakimi grabbed both a goal and assist and is in top form this season. Not only was he overwhelming in attack but also solid in defence.
UNSTOPPABLE ? pic.twitter.com/nUO7ctMnNy
— Achraf Hakimi (@AchrafHakimi) August 21, 2022
Vitinha: 7/10
The summer signing was solid on the night and formed a good partnership with Marco Verratti in the middle of the park. Vitinha showed off his impressive ability on the ball and was also not afraid to get stuck in. It is still early days, but the 22-year-old looks to be an inspired addition by PSG.
Marco Verratti: 7/10
The Italian international played a role in setting up Mbappe’s opener but took a backseat for the rest of the game. He kept things simple and recycled possession before being taken off for Renato Sanches in the 63rd minute.
Nuno Mendes: 7/10
The Portuguese prodigy made several darting runs upfield and grabbed himself an assist for Messi’s goal. He acted as a perfect foil to PSG’s front three and showed more intent in rushing forward than dropping deep to defend. Mendes did, however, struggle at times in defence and also made some questionable decisions when in possession of the ball.
Neymar: 10/10
The Brazilian has enjoyed a sensational start to the season and it showed once again on the night. He was near electric on the field and linked up well with Messi and Mbappe. He grabbed two goals and three assists and was nigh on unplayable when in full flow. It is a pity that we cannot give him more than 10 on the rating scale, given how good the Brazilian was on the night.
Neymar in 4 official games this season
▫️7 goals
▫️6 assistsElectric. ??⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Derdj0jJl5
— PSGhub (@PSGhub) August 21, 2022
Lionel Messi: 9/10
The Argentine acted as the primary playmaker on the night and pulled the strings in attack. His assist for Mbappe’s opener was his 12th this year, more than any other player in the top five European leagues. Messi continued to craft opportunities for his teammates and grabbed himself a goal early in the first half. The footballing legend appears fully settled at PSG, and it is now starting to show.
Kylian Mbappe: 10/10
The Frenchman endured a mixed night against Montpellier last weekend but was back to his marauding best on Sunday. He got PSG off to a flyer by capping off a well-worked move in the first minute, scoring Ligue 1’s fastest-ever goal. Mbappe was a constant thorn in the side for Lille and completed his hat-trick with two strikes in the second half. The Frenchman could have scored more had he been more clinical.
⚡ 8 SECONDS ⚡
Kylian Mbappé with the fastest goal in Ligue 1 history pic.twitter.com/hNwwStjsY7
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 21, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Renato Sanches: 7/10
He replaced Verratti in the 63rd minute and kept things simple. Sanches did not impact the game much but did his job with quiet efficiency.
Juan Bernat: 7/10
The Spaniard replaced Mendes but lacked the Portuguese star’s dynamism on the flank.
Danilo Pereira: N/A
He came on for Ramos in the 81st minute with the game all sewn up. Had little to do.
Nordi Mukiele: N/A
The summer signing enjoyed a cameo after replacing Hakimi in the 81st minute. It was a quiet night out as PSG saw out the game.
Leandro Paredes: N/A
The Argentine has been linked with a move away from PSG this summer and was handed a brief cameo in the last six minutes of the game.
NEYMAR WILL WIN THE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR IF HE CONTINUES IN HIS PRESENT FORM