Paris Saint-Germain opened their Champions League title defence with a 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
The French champions swept aside their Slovakian opponents after going winless in their opening three Ligue 1 fixtures. An early double from Ousmane Dembélé and a hat-trick from debutant Ferran Torres put the Parisian side in complete control.
Luis Enrique rested Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia following his award as the competition's best player last season. The host side still proved far too strong for the visitors in the opening matchday of the league phase.
Early dominance in Paris
Dembélé, who returned to the starting lineup after receiving the Ballon d'Or last year, scored twice within six minutes to put Paris Saint-Germain ahead. The French forward from Évreux opened the scoring in the 17th minute before adding a second in the 23rd minute.
Spanish forward Ferran Torres extended the lead to 3-0 in the 31st minute with a close-range finish after being set up by Dembélé. Slovakian goalkeeper Dominik Takac prevented further damage before half-time by making a spectacular save to deny Dembélé a third goal following another pass from his teammate.
Paris Saint-Germain play their home fixtures at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. The French club entered the match as the double defending European champions, seeking a third consecutive title in Europe's top club competition.
Torres completes hat-trick
The home side maintained their momentum after the break against Slovan Bratislava, who are coached by former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré. Maghnes Akliouche, who recently joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco, created the fourth goal with a solo run through the opposition half before cutting the ball back for Torres to finish in the 47th minute.
Torres completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute when a corner deflected in with a touch of good fortune to make it 5-0. The performance earned the Spanish international the player of the match award on his Champions League debut for the club.
Slovan Bratislava play as the domestic champions of Slovakia. Despite facing heavy pressure, the visitors managed to pull a goal back in the 59th minute when Gambian forward Suleiman Camara beat defender Illia Zabarnyi and slotted past Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to make the score 5-1.
Late goal caps victory
Safonov stayed alert late in the match to prevent any further comeback from the visitors. Midfielder Fabian Ruiz rounded off the scoring in the 88th minute to seal the 6-1 victory for Paris Saint-Germain.
The match was part of the newly structured Champions League league phase format. In transfer news surrounding the French club, international winger Bradley Barcola recently completed a move to Liverpool after spending three seasons with Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain will continue their European campaign on 14 October with an away fixture against Manchester City.
