Champions League
PSGParis Saint Germain7CelticCeltic1

Paris St-Germain 7-1 Celtic

By Jane LewisBBC Scotland at Parc des Princes
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon endured a miserable evening in the Parc de Princes

Celtic were swept aside by rampant Paris St-Germain, who hit seven in the Champions League at Parc de Princes.

Brendan Rodgers' side opened the scoring in the first minute through Moussa Dembele, but were then swamped.

Neymar scored twice, then created the third for Edinson Cavani, before Kylian Mbappe struck before half-time.

Marco Verratti, Cavani and Dani Alves scored in a five-minute second-half blitz as Rodgers' Celtic side conceded seven goals for the second time.

The victory was PSG's biggest win in the Champions League, and a chastening night for the visitors, who lost 5-0 to the French side at home earlier in the group.

However the Scottish champions still have the advantage in the fight to finish third in Group B and qualify for the Europa League after bottom-placed Anderlecht lost their fifth game in a row, this time 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

PSG have scored 24 goals in their five matches - a Champions League group stage record, with one game still to play.

PSG striker Neymar celebrates
Paris St-Germain have now scored more goals in a single Champions League group campaign than any other side

The Parc des Princes was a blaze of colour before kick off, with the home fans especially noisy and no doubt confident of what their team would produce, given PSG were yet to concede a goal in their previous four group games.

However the match was less than a minute old when Celtic spoiled that particular record.

Alves' poor backpass resulted in a corner for Celtic, and the visitors took full advantage when Olivier Ntcham played a low ball to Dembele at the edge of the area, and the striker clipped a shot over PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

It was a moment for the travelling fans to savour, but PSG were soon back on level terms.

Celtic striker Moussa Dembele
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele scored the opening goal against the club at which he trained as a youth

Adrien Rabiot showed his class in midfield, intercepting Scott Brown's wayward pass then shrugging off the Celtic captain before sending Neymar surging into the Celtic penalty area.

The world's most expensive player showed his worth and his pace as he beat Craig Gordon in the Celtic goal with a low shot.

As the French side moved up through the gears, Celtic's cause wasn't helped when they lost defender Mikael Lustig through injury after 12 minutes, the Swede being replaced by midfielder Nir Bitton.

PSG's talent was now buzzing and after Neymar's neat one-two with Verratti on the edge of the box, the Brazil striker finished brilliantly.

Celtic were not coping well with the waves of PSG attacks and it felt only a matter of time before the third followed.

Cavani duly took advantage of poor Celtic defending and fired in his 20th of the season, after Neymar turned the ball across the face of goal with his upper body.

PSG striker Edinson Cavani
PSG striker Edinson Cavani finished crisply for the third after Neymar turned the ball back across goal

Half an hour had not yet past and sublime PSG had already found the net three times.

Further punishment followed more slack Celtic defending as half-time approached. A free-kick wasn't cleared, and Mbappe was left unmarked to beat Gordon with a firm finish back across the goalkeeper.

Celtic minds were scrambled but half-time offered the chance to regain their senses, and early in the second half, Dembele even had a sniff of a chance when fed cleverly by Brown.

Celtic's enterprise was short-lived, though, as PSG continued their assault.

Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon
Dani Alves' unerring shot completed the scoring for PSG

Verratti slammed the ball past Gordon from the edge of the area and then Cavani added his second of the night four minutes later with a stunning volley after a wonderful Javier Pastore cross.

Celtic's pain wasn't over. Alves delivered the final blow, gathering the ball 20 yards out then whipping a shot beyond Gordon's reach, high into the far corner of the net.

A night that had started so euphorically for the visitors had ended in despair.

Line-ups

PSG

Formation 4-3-3

  • 16Areola
  • 32Alves da Silva
  • 5Marquinhos
  • 2Thiago Silva
  • 20Kurzawa
  • 6VerrattiSubstituted forLo Celsoat 76'minutes
  • 25Rabiot
  • 23DraxlerSubstituted forPastoreat 67'minutes
  • 29MbappéSubstituted forDi Maríaat 76'minutes
  • 9Cavani
  • 10Neymar

Substitutes

  • 1Trapp
  • 3Kimpembe
  • 11Di María
  • 12Meunier
  • 17Berchiche Izeta
  • 18Lo Celso
  • 27Pastore

Celtic

Formation 3-5-1-1

  • 1Gordon
  • 23LustigSubstituted forBittonat 13'minutesBooked at 45mins
  • 20Boyata
  • 5SimunovicBooked at 35mins
  • 49Forrest
  • 21NtchamSubstituted forKouassiat 69'minutes
  • 8Brown
  • 42McGregor
  • 63Tierney
  • 18Rogic
  • 10DembeleSubstituted forGriffithsat 77'minutes

Substitutes

  • 6Bitton
  • 7Roberts
  • 9Griffiths
  • 11Sinclair
  • 14S Armstrong
  • 24de Vries
  • 88Kouassi
Referee:
Anastasios Sidiropoulos
Attendance:
46,288

Match Stats

Home TeamPSGAway TeamCeltic
Possession
Home63%
Away37%
Shots
Home24
Away7
Shots on Target
Home11
Away1
Corners
Home5
Away2
Fouls
Home9
Away7

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Paris Saint Germain 7, Celtic 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 7, Celtic 1.

  3. Post update

    Attempt missed. Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Javier Pastore.

  4. Post update

    Attempt missed. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Adrien Rabiot.

  5. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.

  6. Post update

    Attempt blocked. James Forrest (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Leigh Griffiths.

  7. Post update

    Foul by Neymar (Paris Saint Germain).

  8. Post update

    Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  9. Post update

    Attempt missed. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.

  10. Post update

    Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Layvin Kurzawa.

  11. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Callum McGregor.

  12. Post update

    Attempt saved. Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso.

  13. Post update

    Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Craig Gordon.

  14. Post update

    Attempt saved. Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.

  15. Post update

    Foul by Layvin Kurzawa (Paris Saint Germain).

  16. Post update

    Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  17. Goal!

    Goal! Paris Saint Germain 7, Celtic 1. Dani Alves (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso.

  18. Goal!

    Goal! Paris Saint Germain 6, Celtic 1. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Layvin Kurzawa with a cross.

  19. Post update

    Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  20. Post update

    Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).

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