It was a close game at halftime in the French capital. And then, in a flash, it wasn’t.
Neymar’s ninth-minute penalty was the difference at the break, but Kylian Mbappe stole the show in the second half, scoring a whopping four goals in a 5-0 demolition of Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday as Paris Saint-Germain remained a perfect nine-of-nine in Ligue 1 play.
Mbappe was the man taken down in the box to lead to Neymar’s spot-kick, and PSG led early.
He then scored all four of his goals in a thirteen-minute span after the break, starting just past the hour mark as he popped up in all the right places. Both teams had a man sent off before the break, with PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe the first man to go thanks to a check of VAR. The 23-year-old charged in studs up on Tanguy NDombele, but was shown a yellow at first before the video review. Just before halftime, Lucas Tousart picked up his second yellow for Lyon and had to go.
With both teams down to 10 men, PSG began to press the Lyon box and Mbappe took advantage. He scored his first in the 61st minute as Neymar weaved through defenders but was tackled before getting a shot off, and the ball fell to Mbappe near the penalty spot for a cool, uncontested finish in off the post. Five minutes later, Marco Verratti’s good work was rewarded as he sprung Marquinhos down the right, and past the back line he crossed easily to Mbappe for the sliding tap-in.
Already on a 3-0 lead, the Lyon defenders looked tired and barely challenged Neymar and Mbappe three minutes later for his hat-trick. Neymar rolled down the left with two defenders simply shading him across the halfway line, and his easy ball to Mbappe down the middle saw him finish his long distance one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
He would close the book on the scoreline in the 74th minute in a scramble as Thomas Meunier saw his initial effort down the right closed down by a charging Anthony Lopes. The rebound fell to Mbappe who found Neymar, and his shot was blocked, and it again fell to Mbappe who would finish it off.
PSG now has 27 points on the season thanks to nine wins from nine matches. That gives them an eight-point advantage at the top of the table, a significant early lead with the bulk of the season still to go.
