Barcola Scores Twice as PSG Defeats Montpellier 6-0

French international winger Bradley Barcola scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Montpellier 6-0 on Friday. This victory continues PSG's strong performance at the start of the season without Kylian Mbappe.

At the Parc des Princes, Marco Asensio, Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Lee Kang-in also found the net for PSG, who have now scored 10 goals in their first two Ligue 1 games.

Luis Enrique's squad, which includes two teenagers in the starting lineup and eight players aged 18 to 25, displayed a dynamic performance against Montpellier.

Nineteen-year-old Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves made his first start after joining from Benfica for a fee potentially reaching 69.9 million euros ($78.2 million). Desire Doue, also 19 and recently a silver medalist with the France Olympic team, made his debut as a second-half substitute following his transfer from Rennes for an initial 50 million euros.

PSG, who had previously won 4-1 against Le Havre, showed a more polished performance in this match, emphasizing their pursuit of an 11th French title in 13 seasons despite Mbappe's departure.

The financial disparity between PSG and Montpellier is notable. PSG's Qatari owners invested 175 million euros in summer transfers, excluding bonuses, while Montpellier, facing a drop in income due to a new domestic broadcast deal, will receive only seven million euros from television this season.

Montpellier struggled to compete and fell behind within four minutes when Barcola scored with a first-time finish. The second goal, scored by Asensio after a lay-off from Neves, came midway through the first half. Barcola's third goal, scored in the second half, followed a pass from Ousmane Dembele.

By the hour mark, PSG led 5-0 with Hakimi scoring from a cross by Nuno Mendes and Zaire-Emery adding another goal. Lee Kang-in scored the sixth from the edge of the area in the 82nd minute.

This is the second time PSG has scored six goals in a Ligue 1 match under Luis Enrique's management, with the other instance being a 6-2 win at Montpellier in March.

In Saturday's Ligue 1 matches, Lyon will host Monaco, Lille will play Angers, and Saint-Etienne will face Le Havre. Marseille, managed by Roberto De Zerbi and who won 5-1 against Brest in their opening match, will play against Reims on Sunday.