Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe each scored doubly and Neymar added different arsenic Paris Saint-Germain routed Maccabi Haifa 7-2 astatine the Parc des Princes connected Tuesday to cruise into the Champions League past 16.
The prima attacking trio each recovered the nett to enactment the hosts up 3-0 wrong conscionable 35 minutes. Messi past produced different sumptuous decorativeness conscionable earlier the interval to implicit an eye-catching first-half attacking display.
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There was small letup successful the 2nd half, with Mbappe curling successful for his 2nd earlier an ain extremity from Maccabi's Sean Goldberg and a seventh goal, by substitute Carlos Soler, completed the rout.
Messi, who besides assisted the goals for Neymar and Soler, present has 11 goals and 12 assists successful each competitions for PSG this season, already matching his extremity full from his disappointing archetypal run successful the French capital.
Messi, Mbappe and Neymar besides each scored successful the reverse fixture successful Israel past month, which PSG won 3-1. Before Goldberg's ain extremity connected Tuesday, PSG's past 19 Champions League goals had been scored by a subordinate of the "MNM," dating backmost to past season.
"I saw the players bask themselves, and that's precise important," PSG manager Christophe Galtier said of the 4-3-3 strategy helium employed. "I had to deliberation astir however our fantastic 3 players up beforehand could explicit themselves arsenic champion arsenic imaginable and that the strategy could beryllium precise important.
"It's precise pleasant to bid them, to spot them play each day. For a coach, it's paradise."
At the different end, determination were immoderate little signs of antiaircraft fragility, with Maccabi Haifa defender Abdoulaye Seck doubly capable to find the nett with headers from acceptable pieces.
The victory, though, was ne'er successful doubt, leaving PSG to clinch their spot successful the Champions League knockout signifier with a crippled to spare.
Galtier's broadside are level connected 11 points with also-qualified Benfica but present person a comfy borderline connected extremity difference.
PSG volition question to Juventus successful the last circular of radical fixtures adjacent week knowing they request lone lucifer Benfica's effect connected the roadworthy against Maccabi Haifa to clinch the apical spot successful the group..
Despite their dense defeat, Maccabi stay level connected 3 points with Juve and volition spell into their past crippled inactive hopeful of sealing a Europa League spot.
PSG took a portion to find their attacking bushed connected Tuesday, but erstwhile they did, they were devastating.
Messi got the shot rolling successful the 19th infinitesimal with a silky opening extremity scored with the extracurricular of his near ft aft being played successful by Mbappe connected the near broadside of the area.
Mbappe's opener was conscionable arsenic classy, the French guardant bending a right-footer successful the 32nd infinitesimal past Maccabi goalkeeper Josh Cohen who could not beryllium faulted for immoderate of PSG's goals.
It began to crook disfigured for Maccabi 3 minutes aboriginal erstwhile Mbappe and Messi combined to play successful Neymar and the Brazilian's changeable went successful connected disconnected the post.
PSG switched disconnected defensively to let an unmarked Seck to caput successful from Omer Atzili's escaped kick, but Messi past swapped passes with Neymar earlier dropping his enarthrosis and belting a left-footed changeable debased into the country to marque it 4-1 astatine half-time.
Maccabi really bossed the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half, and erstwhile PSG made a hash of clearing a corner, Seck looped a header implicit Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the net.
The visiting fans celebrated joyously, but PSG past moved done the gears to tally riot.
In the 64th minute, Mbappe was picked retired by a diagonal walk from Achraf Hakimi, and helium took a deft interaction earlier picking retired the acold corner. As Maccabi yet mislaid heart, Neymar's dribble and debased transverse ended with Goldberg netting an ain goal.
Messi, who was denied a record-extending ninth Champions League chapeau instrumentality by the crossbar, past acceptable up Soler to wrapper up the scoring with a debased shot.
"We caught Paris connected a bully day. The smallest gaffe successful attraction against players similar that and they tin people oregon person a large chance," Maccabi defender Dylan Batubinsika said.
"We managed to people doubly today, which is simply a positive, and we tin inactive decorativeness 3rd successful the group."
Information from Reuters was utilized successful this report.
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