It didn’t take Paris Saint-Germain long to open the scoring in their 7-1 thrashing over Lille at Stade-Pierre Mauroy on Sunday night - eight seconds to be exact. Four passes were made by the reigning French champions, with Lionel Messi weighting a perfectly-timed ball into the path of Kylian Mbappe, who lobbed the goalkeeper to finish off a move that was reminiscent of a game of FIFA.
That swift attack and goal set the tone for the match, landing a sucker-punch on the Lille players who couldn’t stop the ferocious force of Christophe Galtier’s side. Mbappe’s strike marked the first time in his career that he has scored in the first minute, and the match got even better for him as he went on to complete a hat-trick.
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The league leaders have been in sensational form so far this term, and despite only playing three games so far they already look unstoppable. The FIFA-esque front three of Mbappe, Neymar and Messi are performing exactly how they were expected to a year ago, and after a stunning start supporters have been quick to take swipes at former boss Mauricio Pochettino for holding them back.
Mbappe may have claimed the match ball for his hat-trick, but both Neymar and Messi were on the scoresheet too, with the former grabbing himself a brace. The Brazilian has been back to his best in these last three matches, looking like the player the club shelled a world record £198 million fee on five years ago.
In their three Ligue 1 victories, he has been involved in 11 goals (five goals, six assists), more than twice as many as any player in Europe’s top six divisions. Collectively, Les Parisiens have scored 17 league goals, and only Rennes in 1950/51 (18) have scored more after three matchdays in French top-flight history.
We may be waiting for the Champions League group stage draw later this week, but already this PSG side are looking a lot more dangerous and switched on than they did last season, which could spell danger for the rest of the European giants.
