After a truly spectacular display in front of an ecstatic Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain recorded a historic 7-0 victory over Stade Brestois 29 in the second leg of their Champions League play-off. A look back at an evening full of goals that saw our Parisians qualify for the next round.
A week on from the first leg of their play-off tie for a place in the last 16 (0-3) at the Roudourou, Paris Saint-Germain were back in Champions League action against Stade Brestois 29 in the return leg at the Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique lined up a central defensive pairing of captain Marquinhos and Willian Pacho in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal. At full-back, Achraf Hakimi started on the right, with Nuno Mendes on the opposite side. In midfield, Vitinha was joined by João Neves and Fabián Ruiz, while Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia supported Ousmane Dembélé up front.
From the outset, the Parisians set a high tempo, with Bradley Barcola's first effort from the left side of the box failing to hit the target (6'). But while the first quarter of an hour was in the capital club's favour, the Breton side remained, as usual, ready to exploit the slightest opportunity. This was in evidence when Abdallah Sima fed Mathias Pereira Lage at the far post: the Portuguese midfielder shot across goal well, but captain Marquinhos anticipated the shot and kept his effort off the line (13'). The tone was set, with attempts coming from both sides, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (16') and Vitinha (18'), who just missed the target.
But through continuous pressure, it was Paris who struck first through Bradley Barcola, perfectly set up by Fabián Ruiz. The French international broke down the left wing, before unleashing a sudden left-footed drive that found its way between a beaten Grégoire Coudert and his near post (1-0, 20'). With their backs against the wall and now trailing by four goals over the two games, Brest might have been expected to come out fighting. But it did not matter against a Parisian rearguard who fought for every ball, leaving no chance for their opponents. The Rouge et Bleu were more incisive and could count on the constant activity of João Neves, who sent in a strong cross from the edge of the area that was met at the far post by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who did well to finish off the move despite the tight angle (2-0, 39').
The Parc roared to life for the second time that evening, and rose to its feet again a few minutes later when João Neves found himself at the end of the move this time, smashing the ball against the crossbar of the Brest keeper (45'+1st). Despite struggling to get a foothold in the game, the Ty-Zefs did not give up and hit Gigio Donnarumma's woodwork just before the hour mark (57'). When he wasn't being helped by his post, the Paris goalkeeper did a brilliant job of deflecting away Brendan Chardonnet's close-range header (58'). The evening was going in the Parisians‘ favour, and they took advantage of it to pull further clear with a third goal through Vitinha, who found the back of the net with a perfectly-struck shot from twenty yards (3-0, 59’).
Whether they are starters or substitutes at kick-off, every Parisian player took to the pitch at the Parc des Princes with the desire to do their bit. Substitutes Gonçalo Ramos and Désiré Doué were no exception, as the former beat Chardonnet before setting up the latter, who made no mistake in front of an almost empty net (4-0, 64'). The visitors could no longer get their heads above the parapet, and were powerless to withstand the numerous Parisian attacks. Achraf Hakimi turned right winger and sent in a perfect low cross for Nuno Mendes, who finished from close range (5-0, 69'). With the Bretons trapped in their own half, they had no way out against a Rouge and Bleu side not ready to stop there.
Désiré Doué didn't take long to return the favour to his team-mate Gonçalo Ramos: from the left, the Paris No14 found the Portuguese centre-forward, who finished with a first time right-footed finish (6-0, 76'). After that, Brest thought they had some consolation thanks to an Abdallah Sima strike, but the Finistère side were denied the goal for an offside (78'). As the game drew to a close, Paris continued to dominate possession, with their desire to push forward unchanged. This played into the hands of Senny Mayulu, another of the evening's substitutes, who completed his side's incredible success with a left-footed shot following a pass from Kvaratskhelia (7-0, 86').
At the end of a one-sided double-header, Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 at the expense of an unfortunate Brest side (0-3, 7-0). Pending Friday's draw, which will determine whether Liverpool or Barcelona will be the capital club's next European opponents, the Rouge et Bleu will now turn their attention to their next match, a difficult trip to the Groupama Stadium. The Parisians will take on Olympique Lyonnais this Sunday at 8.45pm, on Matchday 23 of Ligue 1.