Paris Saint-Germain launch European title defence with six-goal demolition of Slovan Bratislava

Paris Saint-Germain began their UEFA Champions League title defence in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in a one-sided night in the French capital.

Ousmane Dembele set the tone with two first-half goals and an assist, before Ferran Torres completed a hat-trick after the interval. Fabian Ruiz added a sixth late on as Paris Saint-Germain underlined the considerable gap between the two sides and sent an early warning to the rest of Europe.

The home team took control from the opening whistle and broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. A loose ball following a corner fell to Dembele, who controlled the situation before driving a left-footed finish from inside the area into the bottom-right corner.

The France international doubled the advantage six minutes later, meeting the ball at close range with a precise header that flew into the bottom-left corner. Dembele was involved again in the 30th minute, delivering the cross from which Ferran Torres finished from close range to give Paris a commanding lead.

Paris Saint-Germain could have been further ahead before the break. Achraf Hakimi, Drew Fernandez and Maghnes Akliouche all tested Slovan’s defence, while efforts from Dembele and Torres were either saved by goalkeeper Dominik Takac or narrowly missed the target. Nuno Mendes also struck the right-hand post.

Slovan Bratislava offered only occasional threats in the first half, with Suleiman Kamara and Tigran Barseghyan unable to trouble Matvey Safonov significantly. Several attempts were dealt with comfortably by the Paris goalkeeper.

The visitors were also forced into an early change when Kenan Bajric went off injured and was replaced by Sahmko Kamara.

Paris continued to dominate after the restart and added a fourth goal just one minute into the second half. Akliouche supplied the pass and Torres produced a powerful right-footed strike from outside the penalty area, finding the bottom-right corner.

Torres completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute. Dembele delivered a dangerous cross from a corner and the Spanish forward finished from inside the box to record his third goal of the match.

Slovan pulled one back a minute later when Suleiman Kamara struck firmly into the top-right corner, giving the visitors a consolation goal. Kamara later sent another attempt over the crossbar, but Slovan were unable to build any sustained pressure.

Both managers made a number of substitutions as they attempted to change the flow of the game. Paris Saint-Germain introduced Lucas Digne, Mika Godts, Senny Mayulu, Lucas Hernandez and Beraldo, while Slovan brought on Alen Mustafic, Nino Marcelli, Artur Gajdos and Alexey Marus.

The changes did little to alter the pattern of the match. Takac made several impressive saves to prevent an even heavier defeat, while Paris maintained control for long periods. Slovan’s frustration was reflected in a booking for Cesar Blackman following a heavy challenge.

Paris Saint-Germain had the final word in the 88th minute. Fabian Ruiz received the ball inside the penalty area and calmly guided his finish into the net to complete the 6-1 victory.

For Ferran Torres, the match brought his first hat-trick in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt. For the European champions, it was a high-profile opening statement as they began their bid to retain the continental crown.