A record start, and a stadium emptying
Paris Saint-Germain needed 17 minutes to settle the night in Spain. João Neves opened the scoring in the 9th minute, Désiré Doué made it two in the 12th, Senny Mayulu added a third a minute later and Fabián Ruiz completed the run in the 17th. According to RMC Sport, it is the best opening to any match in the history of the Champions League.
The reaction in the stands told its own story. AFP reported that hundreds of Villarreal supporters left La Cerámica at half-time with the score at 0-4, and video from Valencian outlet À Punt Esports showed fans filing silently towards the exits.
Luis Enrique’s side did not ease off after the break. Ruiz scored again in the 50th minute, and youngster David Boly, given his first Champions League minutes late on, finished the scoring in the 78th. Dozens more home fans left with ten minutes to play.
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Short-handed and still dominant
PSG made the trip without four major players, yet the gap was enormous. A Villarreal fan told L’Équipe as he left that “a world separates” the two teams, a quote that sums up the mood in the ground.
The win keeps the holders perfect after four rounds. They had already beaten Slovan Bratislava, Manchester City and Barcelona, and they now sit alone at the top of the league phase with 12 points and a goal difference of plus 15. The unbeaten run in the competition stands at 14 matches, level with Lyon’s 2004 to 2006 series.
The next chance to break that French record comes at home to Roma on Wednesday, November 25.
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