PARIS: Kylian Mbappe reached a century of Ligue 1 goals for Paris Saint-Germain with a brace in Sunday's 2-0 win over his old club Monaco at the Parc des Princes.
Mbappe opened the scoring with an early penalty and then grabbed a second just before half-time after being set up by Lionel Messi to get his 100th goal in France's top flight since moving to PSG in 2017.
The France striker, who also scored 16 league goals for Monaco at the beginning of his career, does not turn 23 until later this month.
The victory allowed PSG to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points from Marseille, who won 2-0 at Strasbourg earlier on Sunday and have a game in hand.
Mauricio Pochettino's side ultimately eased to victory in a subdued atmosphere at the Parc des Princes, with one end of the stadium closed as a punishment after the club's ultras let off flares en masse during a recent game.
"It was a professional performance and we deserved to win. Kylian was extraordinary once again," Pochettino, who has been criticised for his team's performances this season, told broadcaster Amazon Prime.
"We are very pleased with our results, but we can improve our performances," he admitted later.
Monaco had lost just twice in their previous 12 visits to Paris in Ligue 1 and were the better side in the first half, but Mbappe's second goal right on the stroke of half-time was a hammer-blow from which they did not recover.
Niko Kovac's team are eighth, five points adrift of the top three, with just one more round of games to come before France's short winter break.
Sofiane Diop hit the post for the principality outfit inside two minutes but they soon found themselves behind.
Angel Di Maria went down in the box and the referee spotted a foul by Djibril Sidibe after a review of the images. Mbappe stepped up to convert the penalty.
Guillermo Maripan then squandered a great chance to draw Monaco level before PSG scored their second goal.
Youssouf Fofana gave possession away to Messi in midfield and he surged forward before teeing up Mbappe, who took a touch and curled a shot into the far corner for his ninth Ligue 1 goal this season.
Messi came agonisingly close after the break with a shot across the goalkeeper that grazed the far post.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has five goals in five Champions League appearances for PSG but just one in 10 games in Ligue 1. This game confirmed that Mbappe is the main man for PSG, rather than the Argentinian.
Marseille moved back up to second as their win at Strasbourg took them above Rennes, who lost at home to Nice.
Young Senegalese striker Bamba Dieng put Marseille ahead in Alsace with an acrobatic volleyed finish just after the hour. Duje Caleta-Car headed in a Dimitri Payet corner late on to seal the points.
Kasper Dolberg scored one goal and set up another as Nice won 2-1 at Rennes in a clash between two clubs with Champions League ambitions.
Nice started the campaign strongly before stumbling in recent weeks but they went ahead in Brittany when Dolberg converted a 19th-minute penalty awarded for a foul on Dante.
Denmark striker Dolberg then teed up Youcef Atal to score the second in the 51st minute.
Benjamin Bourigeaud pulled one back for Rennes but Nice held on to close to within a point of Rennes in the table.
Reigning champions Lille, fresh from qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League, were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Lyon, a result which leaves both clubs in mid-table.
Lyon last week had a point deducted as a punishment for the trouble that led to November's game against Marseille being abandoned after Payet was hit on the head by a bottle.
Mbappe reaches landmark with double as PSG beat Monaco
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Mbappe reaches landmark with double as PSG beat Monaco
- The victory allowed PSG to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points from Marseille
Barcelona blitz Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to book place in Super Cup final
- Catalans turn uncertainty into complete control with breathtaking 16-minute spell that saw them race into a four-goal lead before the interval
- Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0
JEDDAH: It did not look like the easiest opening 20 minutes for Barcelona in Jeddah during their encounter with Athletic Bilbao. Yet in a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval.
More than 50,000 fans packed the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah to witness the spectacle, although the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal were rested, allowing opportunities for youngsters like Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez.
Lopez would emerge as one of the standout performers of the night. While his threat inside the box was evident, it was his creativity that truly shone in front of the Jeddawi crowd.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A sweeping move from side to side ended with Raphinha finding Bardghji on the right, whose cutback was met by Lopez before being laid off for Ferran Torres to finish calmly for 1-0.
Just eight minutes later, an exquisite backheel from Pedri released Raphinha down the left flank once again, with his low cross this time finding Lopez to double Barcelona’s advantage.
Lopez contributed to his third goal of the night minutes later, this time slipping Bardghji down the right. The Kuwaiti-born winger skipped past Adama Boiro before striking at goal, with Unai Simon mishandling the ball as it trickled over the line.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of slowing down. Raphina finally got on the scoresheet in emphatic fashion with a belter into the top corner in the 38th minute.
To the surprise of many, neither side made any changes at the break. That decision quickly proved costly for Bilbao, as Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the contest beyond reach, Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde rang the changes, making five substitutions to give minutes to his squad.
Barcelona, meanwhile, eased off to conserve energy ahead of Sunday’s final. To the delight of the crowd, both Rashford and Yamal were introduced, with Yamal receiving a warm standing ovation upon his entrance in the 72nd minute.
The emphatic victory marks Barcelona’s second consecutive five-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup, following last year’s 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the final.
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday, as Real Madrid face Atlético Madrid, with the winner set to meet Barcelona in Sunday’s final.
