PSG put six past Montpellier as Barcola nets brace
Just like at Le Havre last week, PSG got off to the perfect start with a goal inside four minutes, as Bradley Barcola played a neat one-two with João Neves before bursting down the wing and firing into the far corner off of the post. New signing Neves almost made it two in quick succession, heading Ousmane Dembéele’s corner narrowly off target on his home league debut.
The Portuguese midfielder then turned provider again for the Parisian’s second, feeding Marco Asensio who lashed the ball first-time into the net. Remarkably, that made it four assists in less than 70 minutes of football for the Portugal international since his arrival from Benfica.
Barcola and Dembélé were constant threats down both flanks as PSG looked to put the contest to bed, and both skewed chances just wide before the break. Montpellier rarely threatened in truth, as Arnaud Nordin forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into his only save in the first half with a point-blank header from a corner.
The hosts continued their dominance into the second period, with Barcola securing his brace within eight minutes of the restart with a tap-in after Dembele played the ball across. The hosts’ full-backs then combined for a fourth, as Nuno Mendes picked out Achraf Hakimi at the back post, with the Morocco international executing a perfect side-footed volley.
Montpellier were sinking without a trace, and it was five on the hour mark when Warren Zaire-Emery coolly slotted past the helpless Benjamin Lecomte.
Substitute Akor Adams did his best to restore some pride for La Paillade, but his fierce strike was well saved by the merciless Donnarumma. And just when it looked like the floodgates had closed for the night, PSG substitute Lee Kang-in added to his opening goal at Le Havre with a brilliant long-range strike that left Lecomte unmoved, taking his scoring streak in this fixture to three H2Hs.
Six points and 10 goals from their opening two matches is all PSG boss Luis Enrique could’ve asked for, though Michel Der Zakarian in the opposition dugout will have the task of raising morale in his squad after a sobering evening in the French capital.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain)