PSG's Cavani regains scoring precision, silences critics

Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani is currently the most prolific goal scorer in European club football with 11 goals in nine games, a rate of one goal every 62 minutes.

In the last six games, including four in Ligue 1 and two in the Champions League, Cavani, known as El Matador, scored 10 goals, a record that silenced the voices criticising his performance in the first three official matches of the season, in which he scored only once, reports Efe.

Today, Cavani is France's top scorer with eight goals in eight matches, and also shares the podium of Champions League top goal scorers with Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi and Poland's Arkadiusz Milik of Napoli, with three goals each.

This weekend, in the eighth round of Ligue 1, Cavani rounded off his excellent run with two goals against Bordeaux.

In the 6-0 Caen winner, El Matador contributed with four goals on his own and another one against Dijon (3-0).

Meanwhile, in the Champions League, he scored the equaliser against Arsenal (1-1) and two goals against Bulgarian side Lugodorest (3-1).

Although he netted against Arsenal, the Uruguayan striker had to deal with harsh criticism for failing to taking advantage of four clear chances.

El Matador has been under great pressure this season, after charismatic Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed from PSG and headed to Manchester United.

Cavani has responded, not only with goals, but also with assists, and finally made peace with PSG fans, who had previously distanced themselves from the Uruguayan for his differences with former coach Laurent Blanc.

However, after Blanc's successor, Unai Emery, came on the scene, Cavani regained his instincts which had served him well and now leads the top scorers in Europe.

El Matador has now travelled to Uruguay to play against Venezuela and Colombia on October 6 and 11, respectively, in the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Just like Europe, Cavani leads the scoring table in the South American qualifiers with five goals in six games, ahead of Paraguay's Dario Lezcano and the Chilean Arturo Vidal, both with four.

--IANS

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