After Mbappe’s match -winning performance, Real president Florentino Perez is sure to do everything in his power to convince Mbappe, who is now directly involved in 52 goals in 52 Champions League appearances (32 goals, 20 assists).
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) last 16 with a sensational 94th-minute winner by Kylian Mbappe.
The contest appeared to be heading for a goalless draw after Lionel Messi’s earlier penalty miss, but a moment of brilliance gave ‘Les Parisiens’ the lead heading into the second leg.
In the early days, these two European football titans were eager to get to know each other.
Kylian Mbappe launched the initial onslaught, tormenting Dani Carvajal before squaring to ngel Di Maria, who rocketed his effort over the bar.
Mbappe, who has been linked with a summer move to ‘Los Blancos,’ was showing his suitors what they could be getting when he found himself in behind again, only to be denied by Thibaut Courtois after a tame shot.
In the first half, PSG appeared to be a step faster than their more seasoned opponents, but the visitors’ experience took the sting out of Mauricio Pochettino’s side as halftime approached.
After the interval, the hosts were quick out of the blocks, creating their best chance inside five minutes of the restart.
Mbappe had a shot on goal thanks to incisive interaction on the edge of the area, but Courtois came down smartly to his right to deny the Frenchman.
Carvajal’s resistance was ultimately broken on the hour mark, when he chopped down Mbappe inside the box, negating the need for a VAR review. Messi, Real’s nemesis, would take the kick from 12 yards, which was fitting.
Messi fluffed his lines in his 46th encounter with the Spanish giants, and his first since leaving Barcelona, as Courtois comfortably denied him from the spot.
Mbappe came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock once more, curling a close-range effort from the left agonisingly wide.
The 23-year-old had threatened to do it all night, but it took a world-class performance in stoppage time to win the game.
Neymar’s clever flick created space on the left for the Frenchman, who then slalomed between Eder Milito and Lucas Vazquez to finish beautifully.
Real faced defeat away from home in the last 16 for just the second time in their previous 12, leaving them with an uphill challenge in the second leg.
Now Mbappe, who has 22 goals and 16 assists in all competitions for PSG this season, is expected by many to move to Real on a free transfer at the end of this campaign, having so far resisted offer to sign a new deal with the Parisian club.
Kylian Mbappe has been involved in at least 1 goal in each of his last 7 games in the Champions League (5 goals, 4 assists), equalling the record for a French player in the competition since (2003/04) set by himself in May-December 2017
And after his match-winning display, surely Real president Florentino Perez will be doing everything in his power to convince Mbappe, who now has been directly involved in 52 goals in 52 Champions League appearances (32 goals, 20 assists), to move to Madrid this summer.
