Mbappe scores hat-trick as PSG ease to victory over sorry Reims
After defeat against AC Milan last time out, PSG got off to the perfect start, as Kylian Mbappe met fellow countryman Ousmane Dembele’s delicious cross with a precise volley into the bottom corner.
In turn, he has now directly contributed to PSG’s last six league goals at the Stade Auguste Delaune. However, Reims thought they equalised just minutes later, only for Junya Ito’s fine finish to be ruled out for offside.
That set the tempo for the rest of the half, as the hosts grew in confidence. Ito was at the heart of everything good about their attack, as two of his free kicks were well-saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The goalkeeper did suffer a scare from Azor Matusiwa though, as he passed straight to him in the box in an attempt to play from the back, only for the defensive midfielder, who unsurprisingly only has one senior goal in his career, to skew his effort wide.
Donnarumma reminded everyone of his quality again though, saving Amir Richardson’s powerful strike brilliantly from point-blank range.
And Reims’ lack of a goal to show for their efforts then came back to bite them in the second half, as Ligue 1’s deadliest finisher Mbappe tapped home his second just before the hour mark, capitalising from Carlos Soler’s pass.
Ligue 1’s leading scorer netted his hat-trick with 10 minutes to go, finishing first-time from substitute Bradley Barcola’s cut-back, and almost added a fourth, only to be denied by the width of the crossbar.
Ultimately, Reims’ wastefulness in front of goal came at an almighty price, and they were taught a lesson in finishing by Mbappe.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)