Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola is oozing confidence after his impressive performance against Montpellier, where he scored a brace in the absence of Kylian Mbappe. The 21-year-old forward has already netted three goals in just two appearances this season, stealing the spotlight during Luis Enrique’s side’s 6-0 victory in their first home game of the campaign.
Barcola showcased his skills by opening the scoring at the Parc des Princes with a stunning finish from the left-hand side. He then completed his first-ever career brace with a simple finish in the second half. The young talent registered the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (seven), while also contributing 1.17 expected goals (xG) to PSG’s total of 3.9.
In his last seven top-flight appearances for the club, Barcola has been involved in eight goals, scoring five and providing three assists. With such an impressive record, he firmly believes that this is his year to shine. “I had a lot of fun, I felt free. The coach asked everyone to press together. You have to make a lot of effort, but you get used to it as you go along,” Barcola said confidently. “I’ve realized that I can make a difference. Pushing the ball like that on the first goal is something I’ve been doing since I was very young.”
The official Paris Saint-Germain Twitter account celebrated Barcola’s achievement, tweeting, “First professional brace for Bradley! Congratulations!” alongside a video clip of his goals.
Despite missing Mbappe, PSG has already scored an impressive 10 goals in their first two league games of the season, matching their highest tally after two games played in the 2022-23 season. In their clash with Montpellier, Enrique’s side managed 27 shots, with 11 of them on target. The Spanish coach was not surprised by their ruthless performance, as he had witnessed their intensity and precision during training. “I’m very happy because it’s our first home game. We wanted to give the fans some joy. It was a perfect evening,” Enrique expressed. “I felt it in training, the intensity of the pressing increased. We scored six goals but we could have scored 10. Today was our night… the players were incredible. It’s a great feeling.”
Next week, PSG will continue their league campaign at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, where they will face Lille. Lille, on the other hand, will be facing Angers in their second game of the season on Saturday.
