Villarreal 0-6 PSG: four goals in 17 minutes as Paris top the table
Without Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes or Marquinhos, PSG crushed Villarreal 6-0 in the Champions League. A Fabián Ruiz double, a first goal for David Boly and a record fast start.
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Paris Saint-Germain made a huge statement on Tuesday 3 November at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Missing four regular starters, the French champions thrashed Villarreal 6-0 in matchday 4 of the Champions League league phase. Four goals in 17 minutes, a double for Fabián Ruiz and a first professional goal for a 17-year-old: the night proved Luis Enrique right and kept PSG top of the table.
Four goals in a quarter of an hour, a record
The game turned almost at once. In the 9th minute João Neves headed in from a corner after a flick from Willian Pacho. Three minutes later Désiré Doué punished a poor clearance from goalkeeper Peter Gulácsi with a curling shot, set up by Maghnes Akliouche. Straight after, Senny Mayulu bundled the ball in after a blocked Neves effort (13th). Fabián Ruiz capped that crazy start with a left-footed finish from an Akliouche cross (17th).
According to Foot Mercato and Africa Radio, no team had ever led 4-0 so early in Champions League history. The previous record belonged to Real Madrid, who reached that score after 20 minutes against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011. At half-time Paris led 4-0, and Villarreal had shown almost nothing beyond a missed Tajon Buchanan header around the 28th minute.
The second half changed nothing. Five minutes after the restart, Fabián Ruiz collected a long pass from Vitinha, went past Renato Veiga and slipped the ball through Gulácsi's legs (50th). The Spaniard, a former La Liga player, was named man of the match. The last word went to David Boly. On for Achraf Hakimi in the 73rd minute, the young Parisian finished a late counter, his shot deflecting off Veiga. In his first Champions League appearance, he scored his first goal as a professional.
A reshuffled side that lost nothing
The most striking part was the line-up. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Nuno Mendes and Marquinhos were all injured. Luis Enrique therefore started Matvey Safonov in goal, Illia Zabarnyi at centre-back alongside Pacho, and Lucas Hernández at left-back. Up front, Mayulu and Akliouche flanked Doué, with Hakimi as captain.
The gamble paid off. Mayulu was making his first Champions League start of the season and scored for the third game running in all competitions. Akliouche provided two assists in the first half and was one of the best players on the pitch. In midfield, Vitinha, Neves and Ruiz dominated from start to finish. In the second half Luis Enrique rotated heavily: Mayulu, Akliouche, Hakimi, Vitinha and Doué came off, replaced by Godts, Beraldo and Ndjantou among others.
That depth matters for what comes next. The November and December schedule is packed, and nobody knows yet when all the injured players will be back. Seeing substitutes and academy players perform at this level away from home is reassuring about the squad's ability to cope with absences.