Bradley Barcola scores twice as PSG thrash Montpellier

Bradley Barcola scored twice as Paris St Germain thumped Montpellier 6-0 on their return to Parc Des Princes.

The Ligue 1 champions chalked up two wins out of two in style at the start of the new season.

They made short work of a side who boast a terrible record again them, with Montpellier having now lost 12 meetings in a row and conceded 46 goals in the process.

Only three minutes had elapsed on the return of domestic football to the Olympic venue when Barcola opened the scoring after he raced on to a pass from Joao Neves down the left.

He cut inside, outpacing the Montpellier defence before lashing a superb angled drive past visiting keeper Benjamin Lecomte.

The France frontman was also on target in the 4-1 opening-day win over Le Havre.

Neves almost found the target moments later but his header from Ousmane Dembele’s corner flew over.

Montpellier were in danger of being overwhelmed but they did fashion one shooting chance, Teji Savanier firing wide from the edge of the area.

Instead they found themselves two down after 24 minutes when Barcola raided down the left again.

This time Barcola pulled the ball back to Neves on the edge of the box and he rolled it first time into the path of Marco Asensio, who buried his shot.

PSG continued to pile forward before half-time but Marquinhos planted a header narrowly wide and Warren Zaire-Emery’s shot was kept out by Lecomte.

Eight minutes after the break they had a third, Barcola rifling home a pass from Dembele.

Achraf Hakimi tucked way a Nuno Mendes cross for number four and two minutes later the hosts had a fifth through Zaire-Emery’s neat finish.

Home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was briefly called into action to repel efforts from Akor Adams and Mousa Al Ta’mari, while Adams also fired inches wide and Kiki Kouyate headed over.

But PSG were searching for a sixth and Randal Kolo Muani met Desire Doue’s cross with a header which flew just too high.

Eight minutes from time they got it through Lee Kang-In, who buried a low shot from the edge of the area.