PSG BLAST SPURS: VITINHA DELIVERS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MASTERCLASS
Vitinha scores a brilliant hat-trick as PSG rallies to beat Tottenham 5-3 in a Champions League classic. Match report and highlights.
In an exciting Champions League match on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain came back from behind to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 5-3, with midfielder Vitinha scoring a hat-trick. At the Parc des Princes, Vitinha's impressive play cancelled out Richarlison's opening goal right before halftime. He then repeated his performance early in the second half, after Randal Kolo Muani scored Spurs' second goal. Kolo Muani, playing against his parent club on loan, had hoped to make an impact and later scored again. However, it was after the current European champions took advantage of Tottenham's poor defence to score two more goals.
Fabian Ruiz scored PSG's third goal, Willian Pacho their fourth, and Vitinha secured the victory with a penalty. This win marks PSG's fourth in five Champions League games this season.
"It's the first time I've ever scored a hat trick, or even two goals in a game, so it's really special," Vitinha told Canal Plus. I'm really happy, especially because we won. We came back from behind twice, which shows what our team is made of.
PSG, despite Lucas Hernandez's late red card, are close to securing a spot in the knockout stage and is in a good position to finish in the top eight, which would send them straight to the last 16.
Spurs have dropped to 16th place, but they can still hope to reach the next stage with Slavia Prague as their next opponent.
Coach Thomas Frank didn't get the positive result he was hoping for after last weekend's 4-1 loss to Arsenal. Spurs have now allowed 11 goals in three games and have only won three of their last 12 matches.
Even so, losing to this PSG team isn't a disgrace, even though they're currently dealing with injuries.
I'm really happy with how we played. Today, we showed more of our team's true character, our courage, and our aggressiveness, Frank told TNT Sports. There were a lot of good things, like our two strikers scoring three goals together. The whole team did well.
This was the 10th time PSG has played a Premier League team in 2025, and they've won six of those games in regular time. They also beat Spurs in a penalty shootout in the UEFA Super Cup in August.
Spurs took the lead in this game with their first shot on goal after 35 minutes. Kolo Muani nodded Archie Gray's cross from the left across the goal, and Richarlison headed it in.
It was the third goal in three games for the Brazilian player and his sixth this season, beating his total from last season.
After losing at home to Bayern Munich in their previous game, PSG was determined to avoid another loss and equalised right at halftime.
Kolo Muani scores twice
After receiving the ball from Quentin Ndjantou, Vitinha let it roll across his body and then fired a fantastic right-footed shot that went in off the underside of the bar.
The visitors went back in front soon after the game restarted. Pacho cleared a shot from Gray off the line, but Kolo Muani shot the ball in.
It was the first goal for the France striker in 10 appearances for Tottenham since joining on loan from PSG.
PSG quickly responded again through Vitinha, who got a pass from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the edge of the box, moved into the area, and shot in with his left foot.
The title holders took the lead for the first time as the hour mark approached. Ruiz scored after a back-heel from Joao Neves, after Pape Matar Sarr was tackled just outside the box.
The goals kept coming, with Pacho scoring to make it 4-2 when the Spurs defence couldn't handle a corner.
Vitinha then made a rare mistake, losing possession in his own half, which allowed Kolo Muani to score his second goal of the night and his team's third.
But Vitinha, 25, had the last laugh.
PSG was awarded a penalty when Cristian Romero stopped his shot with his arm, and Vitinha scored to make it 5-3.
It was the first senior hat-trick for the player, who had missed his penalty against Spurs in the Super Cup.
Hernandez was then shown a red card in stoppage time after a review for elbowing Xavi Simons.
KVARATSKHELIA DOUBLE: PSG SMASHES RENNES 5-0, STAYS ONE POINT FROM TOP
The Georgian star had his best performance in a PSG shirt, scoring twice in the 5-0 rout that successfully puts Luis Enrique's side back on track after a recent loss.
PSG got back on track in Ligue 1 with a solid 5-0 win against Rennes, thanks to two great goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. It was probably his best game since he joined the team.
The Georgian player was the star at the Parc des Princes, scoring in both halves. He kicked things off with an amazing run and a perfect shot. Later, he scored again from just outside the penalty area. PSG was in charge all night.
Kvaratskhelia Helps PSG Win After Recent Loss
After a tough 1-0 loss to Monaco, Luis Enrique’s team really needed to win to keep up with Lens, who are at the top of the league after beating Nantes 2-1. They couldn't afford to fall four points behind.
Even though several players were out with injuries—Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Chevalier, and Illia Zabarnyi—PSG was totally in control. The only moment that made fans nervous was when Esteban Lepaul hit the post. Soon after, Lucas Hernández started the play that led to the first goal.
Kvaratskhelia ran fast with the ball, sped along the edge of the box, moved past several defenders, and fired a shot that no one could stop, putting PSG ahead.
Before the half ended, Senny Mayulu made it 2-0, finishing off a great pass from Joao Neves, which pretty much wrapped up the game early.
Rennes Falls Apart as PSG Takes Over
Any chance Rennes had of coming back was gone early in the second half. Kvaratskhelia scored again with a strong shot from the edge of the box. Then, Jérémy Jacquet was sent off after getting his second yellow card, leaving Rennes with only 10 players and no hope of winning.
With the game decided, Luis Enrique brought in some new players. Ousmane Dembélé kept getting back into shape after being injured, and Ibrahim Mbaye and Gonçalo Ramos both scored from long range near the end of the game.
This win keeps PSG just one point behind Lens. It gives the team a boost of confidence and shows that the defending champions can still lead the title race when their offence is working well.
MONACO DEFEAT: LUCAS CHEVALIER'S CAREER WAS "LUCKY" AFTER AWFUL TACKLE
PSG coach Luis Enrique was outraged after Camara's awful tackle on keeper Chevalier went unpunished by VAR in the 1-0 loss to Monaco.
Luis Enrique didn't hold back his feelings about Lamine Camara's awful challenge on Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier during their match against Monaco. The game ended with PSG losing 1-0 Saturday night. The loss stung, but the questionable foul on Chevalier early in the game was the main talking point since VAR didn't call it.
Chevalier's Close Call
PSG came into the match after a big 5-3 Champions League victory over Tottenham earlier in the week. However, everything changed when Monaco's midfielder Camara went in hard on Chevalier, hitting him right on the ankle. The referee only gave a yellow card, which shocked everyone on the PSG side. Chevalier was clearly in pain. For a moment, it looked like his night, and maybe his season, was over. Despite replays clearly showing Camara's tackle high on Chevalier's ankle, VAR didn't step in. After a few minutes, Chevalier was somehow able to keep playing.
Chevalier and Enrique Speak Out
Chevalier told BeIN Sports how serious the tackle was: I think everyone saw it... My career could have gone in another direction. I got lucky. I try not to think about it anymore; it is already over. Today I know that I was very lucky and that I'll be able to continue playing football every week.
Luis Enrique, who usually stays out of referee discussions, was clearly stunned.
He was very lucky. I'm not going to say anything more because it's not my place, but it's unbelievable... Lucas Chevalier was very lucky, he said to BeIN Sports.
Monaco Beats PSG
Monaco put the pressure on PSG in the first half. Chevalier had to make some key saves. PSG didn't have the same energy from their game against Tottenham. Their passes weren't sharp, and they kept losing the ball. Takumi Minamino scored the winning goal in the 68th minute, punishing PSG mistakes.
Monaco deserved to win because they controlled the game and found weaknesses in PSG's defence. With nine minutes left, Monaco's Thilo Kehrer got a red card for a foul that Turpin thought was a clear goal opportunity. PSG pushed hard at the end, but it wasn't enough.
A lot of things didn't go our way. We weren't good enough. Monaco was better, Chevalier told Ligue 1+. We tried hard at the end, but it wasn't enough. We've had some injuries, and we're playing a lot of games; it's a different season.
PSG's League Situation
This loss was PSG's first in the league since September. If other results don't go their way, PSG could drop to third in the Ligue 1 standings. They play Rennes soon, and Enrique knows they can't afford to lose more points. After the game, he was just glad Chevalier wasn't seriously hurt.