Paris Saint-Germain has delivered plenty of masterclasses in recent years, but what they pulled off on Tuesday in the opening minutes against Villarreal is extraordinary by any standard. The reigning European champions unleashed a breathtaking attacking display, netting four goals between the 9th and 17th minutes via four different scorers: Joao Neves (9'), Desire Doue (12'), Senny Mayulu (13'), and Fabian Ruiz (17'). Making the blitz all the more remarkable, PSG achieved it without the injured Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, while Ferran Torres watched from the bench.
The frantic start set a new standard for early dominance: No team in Champions League history has ever scored four goals within the first 17 minutes of a match. The previous mark belonged to Real Madrid, who went up 4-0 against Dinamo Zagreb in the 20th minute back in November 2011. Furthermore, no away team had ever reached three goals as quickly as PSG did inside 13 minutes - surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s 17th-minute hat-trick against Legia Warsaw in 2016 (though Real Madrid notably bagged a home hat-trick by the 9th minute in that same 2011 clash with Zagreb).
If that were not enough, the European champions also became the first side in Champions League history to score four goals in an eight-minute span. Through the opening four matchdays of the campaign, PSG have already racked up a staggering 20 goals - a new club record.
Among the highlights, Doue brought his Champions League tally to 13 goals, matching Karim Benzema's mark before turning 22. The leading Frenchman in that category remains Kylian Mbappe, who scored 21 before his 22nd birthday.