Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant last-minute as Paris St-Germain beat 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie. The former AS Monaco star who is linked with a move to Real Madrid 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 the host PSG, especially after seven times Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the second half of the game. 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 Kylian Mbappe saw a shot denied by Courtois’ legs.
But the introduction of former Brazilian star Neymar, making his first appearance since November after recovering from injury, proved decisive. He troubled Real Madrid defence with his dangerous crosses and clever runs before providing the crucial pass for Mbappe to work his magic with seconds remaining.
Kylian Mbappe’s goal means a whole lot for Paris St-Germain as it has raised their 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. For Lionel Messi, he has failed to convert five of his 23 Champions League penalty attempts making him the second player to have missed more penalties in the Uefa Champions League after Thiery Henry of Arsenal and Barcelona.