Forward Kylian Mbappe scored his first hat-trick of the season, helping PSG secure a 3-0 victory against Reims in the 12th round and claim the top spot in Ligue 1.
At the Auguste-Delaune Stadium on November 11th, Reims had 38% ball possession and took 19 shots with six on target, compared to PSG’s 14 shots with six on target. The home team occasionally dominated the game, pressing high, including VAR overturning Junya Ito’s goal in the 7th minute due to an offside, but they ended the day empty-handed as Mbappe shone.
The French striker played the full 90 minutes, touched the ball 58 times, had an 87% pass accuracy with a key pass, successfully dribbled three times, took nine shots with five on target, and scored three goals.
In the 3rd minute, from Ousmane Dembele’s cross on the right wing, Mbappe cleverly placed a one-touch shot with his right foot, sending the ball into the far corner, out of the reach of goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf. In the 59th minute, Carlos Soler raced down the right flank and delivered a cross for Mbappe to slot home with his left foot, doubling the lead. In a similar attacking move on the right wing in the 82nd minute, Bradley Barcola, the 21-year-old forward who replaced Dembele, back-heeled the ball for Mbappe to complete his hat-trick with a one-touch shot into the far corner.
The 24-year-old forward scored his first hat trick of the season, bringing his goal total to 15 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions. He scored two goals in the Champions League and 13 goals in Ligue 1, leading the goal-scoring charts in the top French league.
However, coach Luis Enrique was not entirely satisfied with Mbappe’s performance. “I don’t want to talk about the goals, but Mbappe can contribute more to the team differently,” the Spanish coach said after the match. “I will talk to Mbappe about that later. Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, but we need more from him. We want him to do more.”
In earlier matches, Nice drew 0-0 against Montpellier. With these results, PSG rose to the top of Ligue 1 with 27 points, one point ahead of Nice and three points ahead of Monaco. After a two-week break to make way for national teams, PSG will face Monaco at Parc des Princes on November 24th.
Starting Lineup:
