JOAO NEVES delivered a spectacular hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain maintained their flawless start to the French Ligue 1 season with a commanding 6-3 away victory over Toulouse.
Ousmane Dembele contributed two penalties while Bradley Barcola also found the net for the dominant visitors.
Charlie Cresswell, Yann Gboho and Alexis Vossah all scored consolation goals for the home side, who additionally missed a spot-kick during the thrilling encounter.
This impressive win follows successive 1-0 victories for Luis Enrique’s side in their opening two domestic fixtures against Nantes and Angers.
PSG have already claimed the UEFA Super Cup this season and currently lead Ligue 1 with the maximum nine points from three matches.
They sit two points clear of Lille, who recorded an even more emphatic 7-1 away victory at Lorient on the same day.
Neves opened the scoring with a magnificent overhead kick from close range after controlling the ball on his chest.
The twenty-year-old Portugal midfielder doubled his tally before the quarter-hour mark with another spectacular overhead kick from further out.
Barcola extended the lead before Dembele converted his first penalty to make it four goals just after the half-hour mark.
Cresswell pulled one back for Toulouse before Cristian Casseres failed to convert a spot-kick for the hosts in first-half stoppage time.
Dembele added his second penalty shortly after the interval to extend PSG’s advantage to 5-1.
The France international was subsequently substituted due to injury before Neves completed his memorable hat-trick for PSG’s sixth goal.
Gboho and Vossah scored late consolation goals to make the scoreline more respectable for Toulouse, who suffered their first defeat after beginning the campaign with two consecutive wins.
PSG’s next fixture will be at home to Lens following the international break, preceding their Champions League title defence against Atalanta on September 17.
Moroccan striker Hamza Igamane scored twice on his Lille debut as they demolished Lorient 7-1 despite the absence of injured Olivier Giroud.
The twenty-two-year-old, who signed from Rangers for a reported ten million euros, came off the bench at half-time and made an immediate impact.
Nantes secured a 1-0 victory over Auxerre thanks to an early goal from Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed in Saturday’s other match. – AFP
