Mbappe on song as PSG sweep aside Lens to open up commanding gap at league summit
Entering the match six points behind perennial winners PSG, plucky challengers Lens had to get a result to maintain realistic hopes of winning their first league title since 1997/98.
Franck Haise’s men had matched their illustrious opposition until the 19th minute, when referee Willy Delajod showed Salis Abdul Samed a straight red card for a poor challenge on Achraf Hakimi.
Soon after, Nuno Mendes cut through the heart of Lens’ defence in an indication of what was to follow, although the wing-back eventually dragged his shot wide.
Unsurprisingly, the sprinkling of stardust needed for Les Parisiens’ breakthrough came from Kylian Mbappe, whose shot on the turn snuck in off the far post to make him the club’s all-time top goalscorer in Ligue 1.
A man on the opposite end of the scale, Vitinha scored his first-ever PSG goal with an audacious strike from range that flew through the crowd and past Brice Samba.
PSG looked simply unstoppable by this point, and Lionel Messi played a sublime one-two with Mbappe before applying a clinical finish for his side’s third goal in nine minutes.
Lens emerged defiantly from the break despite their precarious position and were rewarded with a penalty when Przemysław Frankowski’s corner delivery was handled by Fabian Ruiz.
The Poland international stepped up to take the spot-kick and confidently sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way on the hour to offer his side some hope.
Lois Openda fronted the fight for Les Sang et Or with his runs behind that caused plenty of problems for PSG’s backline, although Donnarumma stood between him and the goal that could have made Les Parc des Princes nervous.
So, while Hakimi couldn’t apply the finish after racing behind with a quarter-hour remaining, PSG avoided any significant scares on their way to securing back-to-back wins and silencing anybody who doubted that they will once again keep the Ligue 1 title in Paris.
Despite their seven-match unbeaten run coming to an end, Lens can take solace from their second-half display ahead of facing Monaco and Olympique de Marseille within their next three games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
