Vitinha produced the performance of his PSG career on Wednesday night, firing a sensational hat trick as Paris Saint Germain overturned Tottenham Hotspur in a wild 5–3 Champions League encounter at the Parc des Princes.
Spurs struck first through Richarlison, who continued his strong scoring run by heading in after Randal Kolo Muani nodded an Archie Gray cross back across goal. But PSG stung by defeat to Bayern Munich in their previous European outing refused to let another slip, and Vitinha dragged the holders level with a spectacular effort off the underside of the bar just before the interval.
Tottenham regained the lead early in the second half, Pacho clearing one effort off the line only for Kolo Muani to lash in his first goal for the club on his 10th appearance since joining on loan from PSG. But the advantage lasted only moments. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found Vitinha on the edge of the box, and the Portuguese midfielder glided forward before dispatching a left footed finish to make it 2–2.
With the crowd surging behind them, PSG hit their stride. Fabián Ruiz swept in their third following a clever João Neves back heel, and Willian Pacho bundled in from close range when Spurs failed to clear a corner. The French champions had turned the match on its head.
A mistake from Vitinha then briefly opened the door for Spurs, as Kolo Muani pounced to net his second and cut the deficit to 4–3. But the midfielder corrected his own error almost instantly. His goal bound shot struck Cristian Romero’s arm, the referee pointed to the spot, and Vitinha coolly converted to seal both his hat trick and PSG’s fourth win from five Champions League outings this season.
It was the 25 year old’s first career treble and a sweet one after missing a penalty against Spurs in August’s UEFA Super Cup.
Lucas Hernández’s late red card, upgraded after VAR intervention for an elbow on Xavi Simons, was the only blemish on PSG’s night. Even so, they move ever closer to the knockout phase and look well placed to finish inside the top eight of the league phase.
Spurs, down to 16th after the defeat, still control their own fate with Slavia Prague up next. But Thomas Frank’s side remain fragile defensively, shipping 11 goals in their last three matches and winning only three of their past 12. Wednesday night underlined their attacking potential but also how much work lies ahead.
