Mbappe Scores Hat Trick Off Bench in PSG's UCL Rout of Club Brugge
BRUGES, Belgium (AP) – Kylian Mbappe came off the bench to score a hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain extended its perfect record in Group A of the Champions League with a 5-0 win at Club Brugge on Tuesday.
With nine points from three matches and a five-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, PSG made a big step toward the knockout stage as it ended the Belgian's side unbeaten run this season.
Not fit enough to play the full 90 minutes, Mbappe replaced Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the 52nd minute and scored just nine minutes later to make it 2-0 after Mauro Icardi put the visitors ahead with a first-half-goal.
Mbappe, who had yet to score in the Champions League this season, then set up Icardi in the 63rd before adding two late goals for his hat trick.
In the absence of captain Ruud Vormer, the Belgian league leaders conceded early but reacted well with a spirited display before weakening in the last 30 minutes.
Club Brugge coach Philippe Clement sprung a surprise by starting 18-year-old Charles De Ketelaere on the right wing in a 3-5-2 system. De Ketelaere had featured in just one match with the main squad - against an amateur side in the Belgian Cup last month.
The debutant put on a combative display and had his team's best chance when PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas kicked the ball straight at him near the half-hour mark, with the rebound ending up just above the net.
PSG got off to a cautious start but was clinical on its first foray into the hosts' territory. Left unmarked on the right side, Angel Di Maria collected a long ball and delivered a left-footed cross for Icardi, who slotted home from close range with a shot at the near post past former Liverpool 'keeper Simon Mignolet.
Di Maria came close to extending PSG's lead in the 15th after he beat the offside trap to find himself alone in front of Mignolet, only to miss the target.
The hosts then applied intense pressing, had a couple of good chances from set pieces and deployed well-constructed attacking moves, but they lacked a cutting edge.
Dangerous on the break, PSG had another opportunity in the 51st when Icardi fired a low shot that forced Mignolet to extend his right leg for a fine save.
Mbappe then came on for Choupo-Moting and changed the dynamics of the game.
He made it 2-0 with a header after combining well with Di Maria, and cut back a cross that Icardi converted into a goal.
Mbappe then doubled his tally with his right foot from Di Maria's perfectly timed pass and completed a hat trick, with his left foot, with seven minutes left.
