Kylian Mbappe scored a quickfire brace in the second half as Paris St Germain thrashed Ajaccio 5-0 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday evening.
PSG restored a six-point lead over Lens at the top of the Ligue One Standings.
Messi returns
This was also Lionel Messi’s first outing for the club since his return from suspension.
The World Cup winner was whistled while his name was announced in the starting eleven and was also booed by certain sections of the crowd during the encounter.
Messi appeared subdued throughout the ninety minutes, letting his football do the talking. The 35-year-old is expected to leave the club in the summer with a return to Spanish giants Barcelona on the cards.
PSG dominate
Fabian Ruiz gave the hosts the lead in the 22nd minute as he made a darting run into the box carving open the opposition defense before firing his shot into the back of the net with a wonderful strike.
Eleven minutes later, Achraf Hakimi doubled PSG’s advantage as he took advantage of Ajaccio goalkeeper Francois Sollacaro’s mistake who could only parry Mbappe’s shot into the path of the Moroccan.
PSG return to form
PSG had lost 3 of their last 4 games at home but the result never looked in doubt when Mbappe scored twice in the space of seven minutes after the interval to put the game beyond Ajaccio.
The Frenchman first swept home from close range following a goalmouth scramble in the opposition box. Mbappe then expertly got on to the end of a fine long ball to volley home with a thunderous effort for his second of the night.
It was 5-0 in the 73rd minute when Mohamed Youssouf tuned Marquinhos’ cross into his own net to complete Ajaccio’s misery. With ten minutes left to go, Hakimi and Thomas Mangani were both sent off after the duo threw punches at each other following a scuffle.
With the result, Christophe Galtier’s side are now a step closer to the title, while Ajaccio were relegated, winless in their last five league games.
Photo credit: IMAGO / PanoramiC
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Courtesy : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/psg-thrash-ajaccio-5-0-on-messis-return-from-suspension-20230513-WST-432829.html