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Kylian Mbappe emerged as the hero for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), netting five goals in his side's 7-0 win over Pays de Cassel to reach the final 16 of the ongoing French Cup on Monday, where they will be meeting rivals Marseille.
Mbappe's exploits on the field included a 12-minute hat-trick in the first half, which is his first hat-trick since France's defeat to Argentina in the final of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar in December 18. This took his goal tally to 25 goals in 24 games in the ongoing season. This also moved him to 196 goals for the club, four short of Edison Cavani's record, who is the top goal-scorer for PSG with a total of 200 goals. The France superstar also became the first PSG player to score five goals in a competitive match. "We came here to respect this team by playing at our level. That is what we did and we are very happy," Mbappe said as quoted by Sky Sports. "It was a great opportunity for them and also for us, because it is a reminder for us that we come from amateur football and it is important to keep this link. Even if it is only for one game," added Mbappe. PSG coach Christophe Galtier picked up a strong side featuring Mbappe and Neymar in the starting line-up, but World Cup winner Lionel Messi was rested for the match. Neymar collected a yellow card for a rash tackle in the 26th minute of the match. Mbappe put the 14-time cup winners PSG ahead with help of a cross from Nuno Mendes in the 29th minute. Neymar was jeered by the crowd as he scored PSG's second goal in the 33rd minute. And Mbappe followed it with goals in the 35th minute and 40th minute before the half-time whistle, completing a hat-trick in just 12 minutes. At the end of half-time PSG was leading by 4-0. Mbappe scored his fourth goal in the 56th minute. In the 64th minute, Carlos Soler scored one to make it 6-0 in favour of PSG. In the 79th minute of the match, Neymar provided a setup and Mbappe slotted from close range to score his fifth goal of the match. (ANI)
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