Celtic beware: PSG's Â£450m strikeforce put five past Metz

Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring on his debut. Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

PSG fielded the most expensive strikeforce in the history of the game as they warmed up for their trip to Celtic on Tuesday with Â£450 million worth of attacking talent and they combined to overrun bottom-of-the-table Metz, but only after they were reduced to ten men.

The French billionaires may have eventually completed the expected rout, but gave Celtic plenty of cause for optimism in Ligue 1 last night by displaying defensive frailties at the Stade Saint-Symphorien before they travel to Glasgow for the Champions League opener.

Making his debut last night was £166m loan star Kylian Mbappe, who grabbed a goal. He was joined by Brazilian superstar Neymar at £198m – who also scored – £50m Uruguayan hitman Edinson  Cavani, who netted a double and German ace Julian  Draxler, who was “only” £35m. Perhaps that’s why he was the only forward not to score...

It was a quite extraordinary flexing of PSG’s financial muscle and a truly frightening preview of what lies in store for Brendan Rodgers’ side this week. They were also without injured Argentinian pair Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore, while Marco Verratti was suspended.

PSG made a 31st-minute breakthrough thanks to the genius of Neymar. He threaded a precise pass for Cavani, who rounded ex-Dundee United keeper Eiji Kawashima to easily net. But PSG were rattled just six minutes later when the hosts shocked them with the equaliser after some weak defending by Thomas Meunier which allowed Mathieu Dossevi to outmuscle him and cross for Emmanuel Riviere to head home from a few yards out.

The turning point came when Metz were reduced to ten men after former Spurs left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto was sent off for a horrible scything lunge on Mbappe.

The on-loan Monaco striker quickly gained his revenge a minute before the hour mark when he netted with a cool finish, before Neymar curled in a glorious finish and Cavani and substitute Lucas Moura completed the scoring.