If you were looking for entertainment across Europe on Friday night, it was easy to find. 5-star Real Sociedad tore Deportivo apart in La Liga, while Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways with an entertaining 3-2 win over FC Cologne, with debutant Michy Batshuayi stealing the plaudits with a brace and the assist for Andre Schurrle’s winning goal.
Incidentally, Batshuayi became the first player since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score twice on his Bundesliga debut as goals either side of half time help Dortmund to a crucial three points.
However, the pick of the evening’s entertainment came in France, where Marseille smashed Metz for six at the Velodrome. A 6-3 win lifted l’OM up to second in Ligue 1 and with Monaco and Lyon facing off on Sunday evening, the victory was a huge boost for Rudi Garcia’s side.
The star of show was Florian Thauvin, who helped himself to a perfect 10 with a stunning Friday night display. The former Newcastle man has been in imperious form for Marseille this season and capped off another strong showing with a hat-trick and an assist for Garcia’s team as he put Metz to the sword.
Florian Thauvin: Following his assist for Valère Germain's goal in Marseille's thrilling 6-3 win over Metz on Friday night, @FlorianThauvin became the second player after Neymar to register double figures for goals (13) and assists (10) in Europe's top 5 leagues this season pic.twitter.com/UQPbEfY9NP
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 3, 2018
Thauvin became the first player in Ligue 1 this season to score three goals from open play in a match, but it’s his assist for Valere Germain’s second half strike that saw him became the second player to reach a milestone in Europe’s top five leagues.
Neymar became the first player to register double figures for goals (17) and assists (11) on the continent this term during PSG’s resounding 8-0 win over Dijon last month, with Thauvin joining the Brazilian, albeit having played eight more games. Indeed, a hat-trick and assist last night means the 25-year-old has scored 13 goals and registered a further 10 assists this season and his good performances are reflected in his WhoScored rating (7.96), that bettered only by Neymar (9.00) and Nabil Fekir (8.17) in Ligue 1.
It won’t be long before the pair are joined on this milestone either. Kevin De Bruyne has 11 assists, though seven goals means it may take that bit longer for him to join the pair, that based on the assumption he doesn’t bag a hat-trick at Burnley today. Rather, the better bet would be to back Lionel Messi, who is sat on 20 goals and nine assists in La Liga. As Barcelona travel to Espanyol on Sunday, he’s more likely to join Neymar and now Thauvin as the only players to register double figures for goals and assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
