Mbappe nets two as PSG powers past Monaco
Kylian Mbappe joined a ton-up club with a first-half double against his former team as Paris Saint-Germain extended its lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-0 victory over Monaco.
PSG was held to consecutive draws by Nice and Lens in their previous two league games, and they almost fell behind at the Parc des Princes on Monday (AEDT) when Sofiane Diop struck the woodwork in the opening stages.
However, the host was soon in control when Mbappe rolled in a penalty before adding a second in the first half – the 22-year-old forward reaching 100 goals for PSG in the French top flight.
Rennes slipped up with a 2-1 loss to Nice earlier, meaning Mauricio Pochettino's PSG side moved 13 points clear of second spot, which is now occupied by Marseille after their 2-0 win at Strasbourg.
Diop was denied by the left post after just two minutes, before a VAR review resulted in a 12th-minute penalty at the other end for an apparent trip by Djibril Sidibe on Angel Di Maria.
Mbappe duly converted into the bottom-left corner from the spot, before a wayward Youssouf Fofana pass allowed PSG's France striker to double his account in the 45th minute.
Lionel Messi intercepted before driving forward and unleashing Mbappe, who curled with pinpoint accuracy into the bottom-right corner to reach his century of goals with PSG.
Messi whipped narrowly over the bar with a free-kick after the interval and then dragged just wide minutes later, while Monaco rarely looked like troubling Gianluigi Donnarumma in an otherwise uneventful second half as PSG cantered to victory.
