Paris Saint-Germain 5-3 Tottenham: Vitinha’s superb hat-trick leads the way for thrilling comeback win
Vitinha netted his first career hat-trick as PSG extended their fine form in the Champions League with a 5-3 win over Tottenham.
Vitinha's hat-trick proved crucial as Paris Saint-Germain fought back twice to defeat Tottenham 5-3 as the Champions League served up another thriller on Wednesday.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia twice fizzed shots inches past the post in the opening minutes before Richarlison gave Spurs the lead five minutes past the half-hour mark, tapping home from close range off Randal Kolo Muani’s nod back.
PSG drew level on the stroke of half-time as Vitinha powered a spectacular effort from 20 yards out into the top-right corner off the crossbar.
Tottenham restored their lead five minutes into the second half as Kolo Muani turned goalscorer against his parent club, the forward on hand with a timely rebound after Archie Gray’s shot ricocheted off the bar.
Vitinha once more powered PSG level with another stellar effort from the edge of the area, this time curling a gorgeous left-footed strike past a helpless Guglielmo Vicario.
The Parc des Princes then erupted shortly after as Fabian Ruiz put the Parisians ahead for the first time on the night, poking the ball into the bottom-left corner with ease off Joao Neves’ set up in the 59th minute.
The final 30 minutes saw a thrilling finish, with Willian Pacho seemingly putting the result to bed in the 65th as Spurs failed to clear a corner, opening the door for the Ecuadorian to slide a fourth past Vicario.
But Kolo Muani continued his torment, drilling home a powerful finish across Lucas Chevalier in the 72nd minute to set up a grandstand finish.
Vitinha completed his first senior hat-trick, coolly finishing from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after the hosts were awarded a spot-kick for a handball by Cristian Romero following a VAR review.
Lucas Hernandez was shown a straight red card in the dying minutes for a careless elbow on Xavi Simons, but there was no time left for Spurs to attempt a comeback of their own.
Data Debrief: Vitinha shines with maiden career hat-trick
The fans at the Parc des Princes were treated to a clinic in precise finishing as both sides heavily overperformed their expected goals (xG) values in the mammoth eight-goal thriller.
PSG generated 1.68 xG to Spurs’ 1.98, suggesting that Vitinha’s decisive finishing from range played a big role in the hosts’ securing victory.
Indeed, the midfielder became the ninth player to score a hat-trick in a Champions League match against an English opponent, and the first Portuguese player ever to do so.
In total, he scored three goals from five shots on target, creating one big chance off 10 final third entries, at an individual xG of 0.96.
