Hat-trick star Kylian Mbappe equalled a Ligue 1 record by scoring eight seconds at Lille to put Paris Saint-Germain on course to a 7-1 win on Sunday as the division hit a record modern with 11 red cards in one. Weekend.
Mbappe matched a 30-year record when he burst into space, collected a pass from Lionel Messi and stunned Lille goalkeeper Leo Jardim with a lob to score his second league goal of the season.
The goal coincided with Michel Rio’s goal for Caen against Cannes on 15 February 1992, although MisterChip statisticians calculated that Rio was slightly quicker, scoring after 7.9 seconds to Mbappé’s 8.3.
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 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.
“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.
The match ended a weekend when French football saw red, as referees applied for a new “firmness order”.
After Vanderson of Monaco and Samuel Gigot of Marseille were sent off on Saturday, there were nine more reds on Sunday, setting a single-round high in Ligue 1 for the last 30 years, according to statistics company Opta.
There were also seven reds in Ligue 2, three of them for Saint-Etienne as they lost 6-0 at home to Le Havre.
The last two reds on Sunday came in Rennes, where, despite a warning from their coach, Ajaccio finished with 10 men as Lesley Ugochukwu, who had only come on for Ajaccio five minutes earlier, was shown red in added time.
“Seeing the matches earlier in the day, I felt that the referees had received firm instructions. I warned my players,” said Ajaccio coach Olivier Pantaloni. Hosts Rennes, who won 2-1, quickly lost backup goalkeeper Romain Salin to two yellow cards for arguing from the touchline.
“The spectacle was perhaps more the red cards than the play this afternoon,” complained Rennes coach Bruno Genesio.
“It’s a bit weird. It is regrettable. Because it distorts the matches.” In Clermont, Saif-Eddine Khaoui scored the only goal against struggling Nice in the fifth minute. The visitors, who have not won this season, lost Mario Lemina in the 80th minute and Jean-Clair Todibo two minutes later.
