Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, marking their return to the Champions League with a dominant display led by a hat-trick from Ferran Torres and a double from Ousmane Dembele.
The Parc des Princes was decorated with lights and tifos to welcome back the reigning European champions, who won the competition last season in Budapest. Dembele opened the scoring with his first two European goals of the season, netting in the 17th and 23rd minutes, as Slovan Bratislava struggled to compete for more than 15 minutes.
Ferran Torres finds his scoring touch
Torres, a former Barcelona forward, scored his first hat-trick for Paris Saint-Germain, following on from a double he scored in the opening league match at Rennes that helped rescue his side from defeat. He was applauded by the Parc des Princes crowd as he left the pitch, having shown a growing partnership with Dembele in attack this season.
Luis Enrique praises intensity
Coach Luis Enrique highlighted his team's mentality and pressing after losing possession, an area of the game he felt had improved for the first time this season. Speaking at his press conference, he said that despite poor results at the start of the season, he was pleased with what he had seen in training, and that his team had been much better without the ball than earlier in the campaign. He added that when his side played with that kind of intensity, it made things difficult for any opponent, regardless of who they faced.
Dro Fernandez rewarded with rare start
Eighteen-year-old Dro Fernandez was a surprise inclusion in midfield, starting in place of Joao Neves, and put in an effort that matched the physical and technical level of the rest of the squad. He nearly opened the scoring early in the match, but his shot was saved by the Slovan Bratislava goalkeeper.
Luis Enrique said the start was a reward for Fernandez's good work since the beginning of the season, describing it as incredible to see an 18-year-old play the way he did, though he added that the club already knew what he was capable of before he joined. Enrique said Fernandez would get more minutes this season.
Kvaratskhelia and Doue left out entirely
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, both key figures in Paris Saint-Germain's title win last season, did not play a single minute against Slovan Bratislava, having started the match on the bench. Luis Enrique again said that Kvaratskhelia deserved to win the Ballon d'Or this year, but chose to leave him out for the club's first Champions League match of the season, a competition he has said motivates him every day. The depth and quality of the squad's options were seen as one of the most positive signs of the season so far for Paris, with competition for places set to intensify.
Yaya Toure impressed by Paris
Slovan Bratislava's coach, former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, said Paris Saint-Germain would again be close to winning the trophy this season. He said his players had given their best, but that it was not easy facing a team that attacked from everywhere and was strong in every area of the pitch, with nine players in the top 30 of the Ballon d'Or rankings.
Toure said he wanted to copy everything about this Paris Saint-Germain side, calling it incredible how Luis Enrique had built the team, describing it as a machine that could not be pressed, that always had numbers up and whose players knew each other inside out.
What comes next
Paris Saint-Germain will look to carry the momentum from the win into two important Ligue 1 away matches at Brest and Marseille, before a three-week break for the international break.
