May 14, (THEWILL) – Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi turned in a proper shift as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Montpellier 4-0 in their first win since being crowned Ligue 1 champions.
Even before the last three successive draws – the first of which secured top spot against Lens – PSG’s title celebrations had been dimmed by their UEFA Champions League disappointment this season but they seemed to have put that behind them.
Mbappe, whose future is perhaps more interesting than PSG’s current successes, was again influential, scoring the fourth after assisting Messi on two goals and Angel Di Maria on one to cap another fine performance before attention returns to his transfer saga.
With just six minutes played, Mbappe’s square pass was dummied by Di Maria for Messi to target a left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner, putting Montpellier on the back foot.
Dimitry Bertaud had saved brilliantly from Messi moments before that goal, and he would shortly save well from Mbappe, but he was helpless in the face of a relentless barrage from the visitors.
Mbappe’s magnificent outside-of-the-boot ball put Messi away to round the goalie and score the second, before the duo attempted to link up again and Di Maria scored – his volley bounced past Bertaud after Mbappe’s cross was only half-cleared.
PSG’s flow was barely broken when Mbappe hit the post from a Messi ball just before halftime.
A clumsy challenge from Arnaud Souquet prompted a rare poor Mbappe touch, allowing the attacker to coolly convert from the penalty spot.
PSG ultimately slowed to Montpellier’s relief, settling for four goals after Mbappe was just offside before laying on another goal for Di Maria. It did not count and PSG did not need it to as four unreplied goals were enough.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side is now unbeaten in eight games and will finish their season at home against Metz before the trophy-lifting ceremony. Meanwhile, Montpellier’s losing streak continued, and Dall-Oglio will be aiming for a win against Angers to cap off the season.
