Tuchel unsurprised by special PSG performance

Thomas Tuchel has not been surprised by his “special” Paris Saint-Germain side, after the Ligue 1 champions thrashed Lyon 5-0.

In a frantic encounter at Parc des Princes, Kylian Mbappe scored four goals in the space of 13 second-half minutes to cap off a ninth successive win for PSG – a Ligue 1 record.

Mbappe’s haul followed an equally remarkable first half, in which Neymar opened the scoring from the penalty spot before both sides were reduced to 10 men.

And Tuchel, who has lost just one game in all competitions since taking over at PSG, was quick to praise his players.

“It’s fantastic, it’s amazing. It was super hard in the first half,” the former Borussia Dortmund boss told Canal+.

“It’s a crazy and very hard match for us because Lyon played with a lot of quality and confidence. But we had a great mentality and quality, it was incredible.

“I’m not surprised by my team. I know the players are capable of special things. It was like a gift, it was extraordinary.

“We stayed together, gave it everything. Everyone worked for each other. We defended well, it wasn’t good in the first half, but we grew in confidence.

“The players are happy, they deserve to be happy. The football, the performance, has to be about attacking and scoring goals.

“It has to be about that attitude. At Paris you have to play attacking football.”

What a way to head into the international break! #PSGOL

#ParisEstMagique pic.twitter.com/3SMBFIDtFH

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 7, 2018

It could easily have been more for PSG, with Mbappe missing three gilt-edged chances when one-on-one with Anthony Lopes, and also hitting the woodwork, before he finally got on the scoresheet in the 61st minute.

The youngster did not look back from there, but insisted that he still has plenty of improvements if he is to reach the highest level.

“I missed some opportunities yes, and I should have scored more goals, but that’s normal,” the 19-year-old told Canal+.

“It’s part of the steps that I have to go through to really get to the top. But I will work. My team-mates have supported me a lot.

“For a striker, as long as opportunities are created, everything is fine. I knew that if I made the right move it would come back and my team-mates gave me lots of good passes. That’s why I could score so many.

“We wanted to gauge ourselves against a team like Lyon. It’s a big team and they always responded in big matches.

“The title is still far away. There are many things to do yet.”