Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant goal in stoppage time as Paris St-Germain beat 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
The France striker, linked with a move to Real in the summer, received the ball on the left from a clever backheel by Neymar, and got between two defenders inside the box before slotting through Thibaut Courtois’ legs to send the Parc des Princes wild.
It was a dramatic finish to a game that had looked set to end in frustration for PSG, especially after Lionel Messi saw his penalty saved just after the hour mark.
The hosts had dominated possession but struggled to break down a well-organised Real defence that had limited PSG to one shot on target in the first half, when Mbappe saw a shot denied by Courtois’ legs.
But the introduction of Neymar, making his first appearance since November after recovering from injury, proved decisive. He caused Real a number of problems with his dangerous crosses and clever runs before providing the crucial pass for Mbappe to work his magic with seconds remaining.
The win will give PSG hope that they can head to Madrid on Wednesday, 9 March and get the result they need to keep alive their hopes of winning a first Champions League title.
A successful audition for Mbappe
All the build-up to the game had centred on Mbappe and how the striker would perform in what appeared to be an audition against his future employers.
The 23-year-old is one of the best players in the world right now and has been in superb form this season, with his goalscoring prowess pulling PSG out of difficult circumstances a number of times.
Just a few days ago, he scored in the 93rd minute to secure a 1-0 win at Rennes in Ligue 1 – and once again he had the decisive impact in this game.
Real, to their credit, had defended superbly for so long, with their doubling up on Mbappe having largely limited his impact.
But the introduction of Neymar in the closing stages gave the visitors an additional threat to deal with and in turn more space for Mbappe to cause problems.
There was relief for Real when Mbappe saw a shot from the edge of the area beat Courtois but bounce just wide of the far post late on but in the end he was not to be denied the match-winning moment.
The goal was Mbappe’s 22nd in another incredible season for the youngster and his performance will surely have only served to enhance Real’s desire for him to be leading their line next term. (BBC)
