Kylian Mbappe showcased his prowess during his inaugural home appearance of the season, netting twice as Paris-Saint Germain, the reigning Ligue 1 champions, triumphed over last season’s runners-up, Lens, with a resounding three-goal-to-one victory on Saturday.
In a clash between two squads that had yet to secure a win in their opening two league matches, PSG effectively steered their season back on course.
The win propelled them to the fourth spot, trailing the leading team, Monaco, who settled for a draw on Friday, and Marseille, who secured a victory earlier on Saturday.
Mbappe, rejoining the team after a contract dispute and marking his first home start, exhibited his threat from the very outset.
During the initial half, he tested the goalkeeper Brice Samba with a shot and saw another attempt cleared off the line by Kevin Danso, just moments before Marco Asensio found the back of the net for his debut goal with the club in the 44th minute.
Vitinha, the Portuguese midfielder for PSG, orchestrated a powerful surge up the field, passing the ball to Warren Zaire-Emery, who then set up Asensio right outside the box. With a curling left-footed strike, the Spaniard placed the ball just inside the post.
Mbappe’s second goal came in a blazing fashion after 51 minutes. Receiving a return pass from Lucas Hernandez, he unleashed a one-time side-footed shot from the edge of the box, propelling it past Samba into the net. As PSG controlled the possession, Mbappe forced Samba into another remarkable save.
In a rare counter-attack from Lens, Elye Wahi, the record signing for the club, who was substituted in after 57 minutes, outpaced the home team’s defense and forced an acrobatic save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Ousmane Dembele, making his inaugural start for PSG after his transfer from Barcelona, missed an opportunity to secure his first goal for the club by sending a shot wide.
In the 90th minute, Mbappe secured his second goal with a shot near the penalty spot that encountered two deflections on its way into the net.
With PSG’s defense momentarily relaxing, Wahi compelled Donnarumma into yet another spectacular save before Morgan Guilavogui notched a goal with the final play of the match, his shot deflecting off Milan Skriniar and finding the back of the net.
