Paris Saint-Germain’s star-studded forward line-up achieved a hat-trick of hat-tricks as Clermont were put to the sword in a 6-1 thrashing on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi have not always clicked as many at Parc des Princes may have hoped when the Argentine joined last summer.
But they put on a vintage show at the weekend, with the former two each netting three times and Messi pitching in with a trio of assists.
PSG’s rout began early when Messi played in Neymar for the opener after just five minutes, though Clermont were furious the game was not stopped to treat a player in the penalty area who was down injured.
Messi turned provider again in the first half for Mbappe to double the advantage, with Neymar also contributing with a fine pass to play in the Argentine.
But it was after half-time that the visitors really hit top gear.
Neymar converted a 71st-minute penalty and, within a matter of seconds, laid on Mbappe’s second goal, before the France ace completed his hat-trick courtesy of another Messi assist.
And there was still time for him to complete his triple, finishing with seven minutes to go as Mbappe this time supplied the assist.
“It’s a shame that it’s only happening now,” Mbappe told Canal+ when asked about the late-blooming partnership.
