PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain can look forward to a showdown with either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League after mercilessly crushing French rivals Brest 7-0 on Wednesday to win their play-off round tie 10-0 on aggregate.
PSG were always overwhelming favorites to beat Brest and effectively killed off the tie with a 3-0 win in Brittany in the first leg last week.
There were seven different goal-scorers in the return at the Parc des Princes, with Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu netting for the home side.
It is PSG’s record winning margin in a European game and the first time they have scored seven in the Champions League since they trounced Celtic 7-1 in November 2017.
PSG scored just three goals in their first five Champions League matches this season, but have found the net 21 times in five outings since then.
Their dominant display here came despite Ousmane Dembele failing to add to the 18 goals he had netted in his previous 12 appearances for Luis Enrique’s side.
It was an agonizing way for Brest to end their first-ever European campaign, after they made it to the knockout stages following a historic third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season.
Being drawn against PSG was an anti-climax for Brest.
They have not beaten the Parisians in 40 years and have now lost 19 of the last 20 meetings of the clubs.
Brest did almost take the lead early on as a Mathias Pereira Lage shot was blocked in front of the line by Marquinhos, before PSG struck in the 20th minute.
Barcola, on the left, controlled a Fabian Ruiz ball over the top before beating goalkeeper Gregoire Coudert at the near post for his 16th goal of the season.
Kvaratskheli
arabnews.com
