diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
index 111dc10bb5..e9df86e312 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
@@ -542,4 +542,8 @@ function validateNode(route: Route): void {
     throw new Error(
         `Invalid route configuration of route '{path: "${route.path}", redirectTo: "${route.redirectTo}"}': please provide 'pathMatch'. ${exp}`);
   }
+  if (route.pathMatch !== undefined && route.pathMatch !== 'full' && route.pathMatch !== 'prefix') {
+    throw new Error(
+        `Invalid configuration of route '${route.path}': pathMatch can only be set to 'prefix' or 'full'`);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
index f8536f9160..9791164412 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ describe('config', () => {
            validateConfig([<any>{path: '', redirectTo: 'b'}]);
          }).toThrowError(/Invalid route configuration of route '{path: "", redirectTo: "b"}'/);
        });
+
+    it('should throw when pathPatch is invalid', () => {
+      expect(() => { validateConfig([{path: 'a', pathMatch: 'invalid', component: 'b'}]); })
+          .toThrowError(
+              /Invalid configuration of route 'a': pathMatch can only be set to 'prefix' or 'full'/);
+    });
   });
 });