PARIS, Feb 16: After teammate Lionel Messi missed a penalty, Kylian Mbappe saved his team again by scoring a brilliant solo goal deep into stoppage time as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League last-16 match on Wednesday.
Mbappe has rescued PSG many times with late goals in the French league this season – as recently as last Friday – and he did so again on the biggest stage.
After taking a back-heeled pass from substitute Neymar in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time of the first leg, Mbappe cut inside two players down the left and shot the ball past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“I got free and then it’s a one on one. The forward is always the master of the penalty area when the defenders start backing off,” Mbappe said. “I decided where I wanted to go.”
Although it was a great finish, the sudden attack happened because Madrid somehow gave the ball away under no pressure in midfield instead of clearing it easily wide or long.
Courtois had played the starring role, denying Mbappe early in each half and then stopping record seven-time Golden Ball winner Messi’s penalty in the 61st minute. It was awarded after Mbappe was fouled by right back Dani Carvajal.
Courtois guessed correctly and dived to his left for a fine stop.
Messi scored 26 goals and delivered 14 assists in 45 games against Madrid during his glory era with Barcelona, but did not find the net in several games before joining PSG last summer.
PSG threw on Neymar for the last 20 minutes as the Brazil standout made his return from a sprained ankle, while Madrid’s star forward Karim Benzema shook off a hamstring injury and faced ex-club rival Messi and France teammate Mbappe.
Mbappe is out of contract at the end of the season and remains heavily linked with a move to Madrid, whose offer of 180 million euros was rejected by PSG.
Now the Spanish giant might get arguably the world’s most dangerous striker for free, although Mbappe pushed back on talk of a move.
Sporting vs Man City
Manchester City was so good on Wednesday that even the fans of its opponents couldn’t help but applaud.
When Phil Foden side-footed home the third of City’s four first-half goals in a 5-0 win over Sporting in the last 16, it wasn’t just the vocal away fans showing their appreciation inside the Estádio José Alvalade.
Some of the home supporters were also seen clapping in recognition of one of the most dominant performances ever seen at this stage of Europe’s top club competition.
Helping inflict the humiliation were four players who once played for Sporting’s fierce Lisbon rival, Benfica. One of them was Bernardo Silva, who scored two of the goals – his first an outrageous half-volley that flew in off the underside of the crossbar.
Riyad Mahrez began the demolition in the seventh minute with a close-range volley that was only given after a long video review.
Silva then scored in the 17th and 44th minutes – either side of Foden’s well-worked team goal in the 32nd – as City went into half time leading 4-0.
Raheem Sterling curled in a sublime fifth in the 58th and Pep Guardiola’s team can start planning for the quarterfinals, even with the second leg still to come in three weeks. (AP)
