Is soccer becoming too easy for Kylian Mbappe?
The Paris St. Germain forward scored four goals in 13 minutes Sunday during his team’s 5-1 rout of Lyon in Ligue 1 (France’s first division). In doing so, Mbappe further confirmed his performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which helped France win the title and netted him tournament’s Best Young Player Award were no fluke. Mbappe, 19, simply is the real deal.
PSG was leading 1-0 in the 61st minute but might have been frustrated at having missed a host of chances to extend the lead earlier in the contest. Mbappe then eased the tension and began his personal explosion with a fine finish that hit both posts before going into Lyon’s goal.
Mbappe doubled his tally in the 66th minute when he slid home Marquinhos’ cross from point-blank range.
Mbappe completed his hat trick in the 69th minute by finishing a breakaway. He marked the goal with his signature celebration.
Mbappe shot through traffic in the 74th minute to up his personal tally to four and become the youngest player to score four goals in a Ligue 1 game in 45 years, per Opta.
PSG has built an eight-point lead in the Ligue 1 standings thanks to its historic start.
Mbappe’s goal-fest was one of the most astonishing we’ve seen in European soccer’s major leagues since November 2015 when Bayern Munich’s Roebert Lewandowski scored five goals in nine minutes in a Bundesliga (German first division) game.
