Neymar scored his first Champions League goal in a year as Paris Saint-Germain capped off its impressive Group A campaign with a 5-0 win over Galatasaray.
Having played the role of creator for PSG's two first-half goals at Parc des Princes, Neymar put Thomas Tuchel's side three up with a typically composed finish moments after the break.
Galatasaray needed a victory to stand a chance of edging out Club Brugge for a Europa League spot, yet the Turkish champion's resistance lasted just 32 minutes – quick-fire efforts from Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia putting PSG in control.
Neymar followed up his goal with a sublime assist for Kylian Mbappe to add a fourth just after the hour, with substitute Edinson Cavani getting in on the act with a late penalty.
Fernando Muslera's reactions kept Sarabia at bay early on, before Icardi had a goal rightly disallowed for offside and Mbappe went close, but PSG's dominance soon paid off as its front three combined to devastating effect.
Played through by Neymar's perfect throughball, Mbappe kept his cool to flick a pass over Muslera, presenting Icardi with a simple finish.
Neymar was the architect of PSG's second three minutes later – charging forward and supplying Sarabia, who finished crisply.
The Brazilian ended his Champions League drought a minute after the restart, lashing home after racing onto Mbappe's flick.
Mbappe should have made it 4-0, only to blaze over when one-on-one with Muslera, albeit the angle was tight, though he made no mistake with his next chance, slotting calmly beyond Muslera following another sensational pass from Neymar.
PSG was not finished there, though, and after Mbappe had been hauled down by Ryan Donk, Cavani sent Muslera the wrong way from 12 yards to net his first goal since August, adding further gloss to a comprehensive triumph.
What does it mean? Rampant front three give PSG every chance
For the second outing in a row, Neymar, Mbappe and Icardi all found the net for PSG. With its front three in this kind of form, Tuchel's side must be considered as one of the favourites heading into the knockout stages. Whether it can maintain its levels – as it has been unable to do in recent seasons – could again be the decisive factor, however.
Neymar ends Champions League wait
Having last scored in the Champions League in a 4-1 win over Red Star Belgrade, Neymar was at his spectacular best on Wednesday, playing a key role in three goals and thumping in another.
Terim under pressure as winless Galatasaray bows out bottom
Fatih Terim was not helped by losing Jean Michael Seri to injury late in the first half, but Galatasaray's display was a dismal one and, languishing in sixth in the Super Lig, its experienced coach could be in trouble.
Key Opta facts
- Galatasaray has failed to win any of its six group stage matches in the Champions League for the fourth time, also doing so in 1993-94, 2001-02 (second phase) and 2014-15.
- Since his Champions League debut in September 2013, Neymar has both scored and assisted in nine different matches. Only Lionel Messi (10) and Cristiano Ronaldo (11) have done so on more occasions in the competition in this time.
- Pablo Sarabia (2) has now scored as many goals in his five Champions League games for PSG as he did in his previous 18 appearances across spells with Real Madrid and Sevilla (2).
- Mauro Icardi has now scored more goals in Europe's top club competition for current club PSG (5) than he did during his spell with Inter (4).
- Kylian Mbappe has scored five goals in five Champions League appearances this season; only in 2016/17 (6 in 9 for Monaco) has he had a more prolific campaign.
What's next?
Saint-Etienne is the next opponent for PSG in Ligue 1 on Sunday, while Galatasaray hosts Ankaragucu.
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