PARIS: Kylian Mbappe scored the fastest Ligue 1 goal for 30 years to set champions Paris St Germain on their way to a runaway 7-1 victory at Lille on Sunday as they kept up their 100% start to the new Ligue 1 season.

Mbappe took only eight seconds to lob the ball into the Lille net after being teed up by Lionel Messi, equalling the record set in 1992 by Michel Rio for Caen against Cannes.

Mbappe then hit a post when facing an open goal, but Messi, Achraf Hakimi and Neymar all scored before half-time as PSG tore apart the only other club to win the French title in the last five seasons.

Stories of tensions between two of PSG’s superstars, Mbappe and Neymar, had swirled around the club this week but the Brazilian scored twice and Mbappe three times.

“It’s a real satisfaction to see them happy on the field, playing for each other,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier said. “Obviously there is talent, and when this talent comes together, it makes for a very enjoyable match.”

Neymar added a fifth early in the second half. After Jonathan Bamba replied for Lille, Mbappe struck twice, set up both times by Neymar.

PSG have scored 17 goals in winning their first three games of the season and are two points above Racing Lens and Olympique de Marseille, both winners on Saturday.

Sunday also saw home success for Clermont and Stade Rennes and wins away for Auxerre and Stade Brest as they both marked their first victories of the new campaign.

The weekend also saw a total of 11 red cards for the first time in 30 years, including four as newly promoted Auxerre won 2-1 at Montpellier as both sides ended down to nine men.

Angers had Halid Sabanovic sent off after 34 minutes, after which Brest took advantage to win 3-1 with a double from Jeremy Le Douaron.

Saif-Eddine Khaoui scored past Kasper Schmeichel in the sixth minute as Clermont beat Nice 1-0 at home to move up to fifth in the standings. Nice had Mario Lemina sent off for a bad tackle and then Jean-Clair Todibo for dissent in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Rennes also won their first game of the season as they had the upper hand over Ajaccio with goals from Martin Terrier and Arthur Theate on either side of Mounaim El Idrissys score for the Corsican club.

Toulouse fought back to draw 2-2 at home against Lorient after falling behind as early as the second minute.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2022