Looking Back at Top Scoring Champions League Clubs as Rampant PSG Smash Group Stage Goal Record
Paris Saint-Germain broke the Champions League record for goals scored in a single group campaign on Wednesday night when their 7-1 annihilation of Celtic at Parc des Princes took their tally up to a competition high 24, remarkably with one game still left to play.
Having won 5-0, 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0 in the first four matchdays, PSG were already well on the way to break the group stage goal record by the end of six games, but have smashed it already.
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The previous tally that Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and co. have broken was the 21 goals scored over six games by Borussia Dortmund just last season.
Given that €222m was spent on Neymar in the summer, and another €145m plus add-ons has been committed to make Mbappe's loan permanent next year, perhaps a record breaking goal tally is the minimum that PSG could have wished for.
Other than PSG and Dortmund, only three other clubs have ever hit the 20-goal milestone in six group. Manchester United were the first to do it, with their 1998/99 group campaign featuring 6-2 and 5-0 wins, as well as two 3-3 draws. They ultimately went on to lift the trophy.
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Barcelona have hit 20 in two different season, first in 2011/12 and then in 2016/17, while Real Madrid scored 20 goals in the 2013/14 group stage. Like United, they too went on to win the whole competition later that season after such a flying start.
Barça and Real feature regularly in the highest group scorers. Arsenal have scored 18 goals in six group games on two occasions, the most recent of which came last season, while fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool (2007/08) and Tottenham (2010/11) have also bagged 18.
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Top Scoring Clubs in Champions League Group Stage:
Club | Group Stage Goals | Season |
Paris Saint-Germain | 24* | 2017/18 |
Borussia Dortmund | 21 | 2016/17 |
Manchester United | 20 | 1998/99 |
Barcelona | 20 | 2011/12 |
Real Madrid | 20 | 2013/14 |
Barcelona | 20 | 2016/17 |
Barcelona | 19 | 1999/00 (GS1) |
Real Madrid | 19 | 2011/12 |
Bayern Munich | 19 | 2015/16 |
Real Madrid | 19 | 2015/16 |
Liverpool | 18 | 2007/08 |
Barcelona | 18 | 2008/09 |
Arsenal | 18 | 2010/11 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 2010/11 |
Manchester City | 18 | 2013/14 |
Arsenal | 18 | 2016/17 |
Real Madrid | 17 | 1998/99 |
Barcelona | 17 | 1999/00 (GS2) |
Valencia | 17 | 2002/03 (GS1) |
Lyon | 17 | 2004/05 |
Bayern Munich | 17 | 2013/14 |
Chelsea | 17 | 2014/15 |
*only 5 group games played so far
GS1 = 1st Group Stage; GS2 = 2nd Group Stage - in seasons that included two group stages
