PSG's Edinson Cavani with Timely Reminder of Clinical Ability in Gazelec Rout
Paris Saint-Germain set a new Ligue 1 record point total of 92 on Saturday with a 4-0 win away at Gazelec Ajaccio.
The French champions are a massive 27 points clear of second-placed Olympique Lyonnais, and Laurent Blanc’s men have two fixtures remaining in Le Championnat.
The previous record tally also belonged to Les Parisiens—set back in the 2013-14 season—and they now have the chances to add six more points to it against Girondins de Bordeaux and FC Nantes.
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Edinson Cavani was instrumental in PSG’s commanding win at Stade Ange Casanova, scoring three times for only his second hat-trick for the French capital outfit—almost exactly 12 months since the first.
The Uruguayan found the back of the net with two clinical headers on either side of a well-taken finish that required expert control and composure to convert. Angel Di Maria provided El Matador with two assists, while Layvin Kurzawa swung in another from the left.
It was a rare return to Cavani's prolific form of old, something which delighted his PSG team-mate Marquinhos when speaking with the French giants’ official website after the final whistle.
The Brazil international praised the No. 9’s work ethic and also revealed his pleasure at setting a new points record in Ligue 1:
"It was a perfect night. We came here to play well and get the win and the points to set a new record. We did that by playing well. We opened the scoring in the first half to make the breakthrough. We held firm at the back and then added more goals in the second half. I’m very happy for Edinson Cavani. He’s a hard worker and he deserves it. We are always happy when our strikers score.
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Although it did not come in the most important of matches, Cavani’s hat-trick was a treble all the same, and his showing in Mezzavia, Corsica, represented a huge improvement on some recent performances.
Just eight days earlier, the 29-year-old was toiling towards a goal and an assist in a 4-0 home win over Stade Rennais—a game that saw him miss two easy chances despite a productive second half on paper.
Cavani’s confidence will now have received a major boost ahead of the final few domestic fixtures this season.
The former Napoli man could go on to play an important role in the matches against Bordeaux, Nantes and—most importantly—bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille in the Coupe de France final at Stade de France later this month.
Cavani barely featured for PSG in their 2-1 win over Lille OSC in the Coupe de la Ligue Final late last month, which was harsh of Blanc considering the Uruguayan’s excellent record in cup finals at the Paris-based venue.
Consequently, the South American will be hoping that a rich vein of scoring form this late in the season will ensure that he starts against OM and gets maximum opportunity to prove his big-match pedigree.
More important than the Coupe de France final against Marseille, though, is the bigger picture surrounding Cavani’s future at Parc des Princes past this summer.
With no news yet on whether or not Zlatan Ibrahimovic—the scorer of PSG’s fourth and final goal against Gazelec on Saturday—will be extending his contract for another campaign or two, Cavani is essentially playing for his future at present.
The man from Salto’s hat-trick in Ajaccio this weekend will have boosted his cause as far as the French champions’ ambitious Qatari owners are concerned, and Blanc will no doubt have been pleased to see one of his main strikers in rare clinical form.
Assuming Ibrahimovic does leave Paris this summer, keeping Cavani and giving him a genuine chance to be the team’s main attacking threat before deciding whether or not to cut their losses would be a wise move from the PSG leadership.
Saturday’s three goals could spark a now-customary end-of-season tear in form from Cavani that ultimately secures his future at the club for next term.
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