Paris Saint-Germain hit Caen for six as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores twice
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brace earned him a season-best 32 goals in Ligue 1 as Paris Saint-Germain took out their Champions League frustration on Caen.
Four days after losing at Manchester City 1-0 to exit the Champions League quarter-finals, PSG thrashed Caen 6-0 to seal a 27th win in 34 games.
Ibrahimovic, the league’s top-scorer, slotted home with a low shot past Rémy Vercoutre early on and added another in the second half. He is the first player to score more than 30 in a season in France’s top division since Carlos Bianchi scored 37 in 1977-78. Blaise Matuidi, Edinson Cavani, Ángel Di María, and Maxwell scored PSG’s other goals.
Ibrahimovic, who missed a first-leg penalty against City and failed to make an impact in the return leg, was singled out for PSG’s Champions League defeat.
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His good showing against Caen – a team who managed only four points from their past six games – is likely to give more arguments to his detractors, who claim he scores when the pressure is off and struggles against big teams.
PSG, who sealed a fourth successive league title with a record eight games to spare last month, can still replicate the domestic treble they achieved last season. PSG play in the League Cup final against Lille on 23 April, and travels to Lorient next week in the French Cup semi-finals.
“We lifted our heads out of the water,” Laurent Blanc, the PSG coach, said. “But this win did not wipe anything away, it won’t allow us to play in the Champions League semi-final. But it’s important for the rest of the season.”
After being criticised for his decision to play an untried 3-5-2 formation at Manchester City, Blanc was booed by PSG fans at the Parc des Princes when his name was announced by the stadium’s speaker.
Blanc switched back to a more conventional 4-3-3 and made defensive changes, giving the reserve goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu a start in place of Kevin Trapp behind a four-back line of Gregory van der Wiel, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos, and Layvin Kurzawa.
Elsewhere, Saint-Etienne remained in the battle for a Champions League spot with a 1-0 win at Bastia, reducing the gap with second-place Lyon to two points.