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.
INSIDE BRADLEY BARCOLA’S DECISION TO LEAVE PSG FOR A STARRING ROLE AT ANFIELD
Bradley Barcola is keen to trade PSG for Liverpool to avoid playing "second fiddle" under Luis Enrique next season in France.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola looks pretty interested in a summer move to Liverpool, and PSG won’t stand in his way if he decides he wants out. Barcola’s not so keen on playing second fiddle to Luis Enrique anymore; he wants a bigger role.
There's been chatter about his future since last summer, and now the Premier League is catching his eye. Liverpool sounds like the most tempting option if you believe the talk coming out of France.
Barcola’s only 23, but he’s already piled up 12 goals and seven assists from 46 games. Still, at PSG, he sits behind big names like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele. Last time, he stayed put to chase a World Cup spot and another shot at the Champions League. Now, Liverpool seems more appealing; maybe the timing finally feels right for him.
Liverpool’s been weighing up different wide players for the summer. Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig and Barcola are both under consideration, according to The Times.
Arne Slot has made it clear Liverpool’s got big plans for the summer. He wants to turn things around after what’s honestly been a tough season. Slot’s first year didn’t deliver a title, and with two games left, they haven’t locked down a Champions League spot.
“Yeah, I do think I’ll turn things around," Slot said. “Not this season, though. Fans have their opinions, and they won’t change right now. But if we have the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next year: better results, better football. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but it’s not always easy to get what you want. For us, it’s pretty clear what we’ve been lacking, and we’re working on it.”
Liverpool splashed out last summer, picking up Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez. But Jamie Carragher thinks they can’t repeat that kind of spending.
“They won’t be able to do what they did last summer; they just don’t have that revenue," he said. "They don’t need six or seven new faces; that’s too much change. Three solid signings would do: a right winger to replace Mo Salah, a right-back, and a central midfielder. Then, the guys they bought last year, Ekitike, Isak, and Wirtz, will start looking like even better players.”
PSG DRAW 2-2 WITH LORIENT; LIGUE 1 TITLE RACE MOVES TO LENS
PSG remain six points clear despite a 2-2 draw with Lorient, as eyes turn to their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
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Ibrahim Mbaye got PSG off to a flying start with an early goal at Parc des Princes, but Lorient answered quickly through Pablo Pagis. Warren Zaire-Emery put PSG back in front right after coming on as a substitute; his impact was immediate.
Things turned sour for PSG, though. Pierre Mounguengue, making his debut as a teenager, made a costly mistake that let Aiyegun Tosin race clear and score Lorient’s second. PSG kept pushing for a winner but just couldn’t find one.
Still, their lead at the top sits at six points with only three matches to go, since Lens could only draw 1-1 away at Nice.
Lens will host PSG on May 13, but if Luis Enrique’s squad outperforms their nearest rivals next weekend, they’ll wrap up the title early.
PSG’s real focus, though, is on defending their European crown. They play Bayern in Munich on Wednesday, holding a narrow 5-4 advantage from the first leg.
“It’s tough for the players to get motivated after a Champions League semi-final,” said Luis Enrique, who rotated heavily, keeping just Willian Pacho and Desire Doue from the midweek lineup.
Big names like Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stayed on the bench. Vitinha didn’t even suit up.
Nineteen-year-old Renato Marin started in goal for only the second time, and Mounguengue got his debut up front in the second half.
Here’s how it all played out: PSG took the lead in the sixth minute when Lorient’s keeper, Yvon Mvogo, bungled a clearance off Doue’s cross and the ball bounced in off Mbaye. Pagis replied with Lorient’s first equaliser, but after the break, Zaire-Emery, on for Fabian Ruiz, controlled a pass from Doue with his first touch and fired it in (thanks to a slight deflection).
But it all unravelled with Mounguengue’s poor pass. Tosin seized the chance, slotted home, and PSG dropped points at home for the third time in five league fixtures. Senny Mayulu almost stole it back late on, but his shot hit the post.
Lens let their chance slip too. They went up against Nice thanks to Allan Saint-Maximin, but dropped to ten men when Saud Abdulhamid hacked down Sofiane Diop as he closed in on goal. From the resulting free-kick, Ali Abdi pounced and made it 1-1.
Over in Marseille, the misery continued. They slumped to a 3-0 loss at Nantes, a real blow to their Champions League hopes. Ignatius Ganago, Remy Cabella, and Matthis Abline all scored in nine minutes, giving Nantes their first win in nine matches. Nantes, eight-time champions, are still in the automatic drop zone but now trail Auxerre by just two points with a couple of games left.
Marseille, on the other hand, have lost four of their last six and slipped down to seventh, trailing Monaco, who won 2-1 at Metz. With only two games left, OM are four points off a Champions League place and could even miss out on European football entirely.
Coach Habib Beye summed it up: “We got what we deserved", and insisted he wouldn’t walk away. “You don’t give up on a challenge like this. I’ll never quit.”
Monaco kept their own European push alive, coming back at Metz. American forward Folarin Balogun bagged his ninth goal in ten games to tie it up before Ansu Fati grabbed a winner in injury time. It was a bitter pill for Metz, who have now gone 20 league games without a win, which sealed their relegation.
On a much brighter note, Troyes, part of the City Football Group, is back in Ligue 1 after three years away. They made it official last weekend and sealed the Ligue 2 title with a game to spare on Saturday. Le Mans is in pole position for the second automatic promotion spot.
