Last minute Mbappe strike secures deserved first leg win for PSG over Real Madrid
Neymar marks return from injury with decisive assist
Kylian Mbappe struck the decisive blow for PSG against his future club Real Madrid as the French giants picked up a vital 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg.
When the draws for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League was made, every football fan began to anticipate the meeting between French giants PSG and Spanish giants Real Madrid, with both sides having gone head-to-head in the summer over Mbappe.
PSG dominated the early proceedings and the protagonist of the day, Mbappe, was having a field day against Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal, who struggled to keep up with his pace and trickery.
The first real opening of the game was in the 17th minute when Lionel Messi played a cute ball over the top for Mbappe to run onto, but the Frenchman was thwarted by the leg of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from a narrow angle.
PSG continued to dominate proceedings, with Kylian Mbappe continuing to test Courtois in the visitors’ goal. The Frenchman continued to prove to be a menace, and soon won his side a penalty.
A surge into the box from Kylian Mbappe on the hour mark saw Carvajal lunge lazily, bringing down the forward in the process. The referee showed no hesitation as he pointed to the spot to signify a penalty.
Messi stepped up to take the penalty but saw his effort saved by Courtois, who guessed rightly and dived low to his left to keep out the penalty and help his side remain in the game.
PSG continued with their dominance, and Neymar was introduced off the bench for his first appearance since November as the French giants looked to secure the win at home.
The moment of magic came in the 94th minute, when Real Madrid thought they had run away with a draw from their away leg. Kylian Mbappe received a pass from Neymar down the left channel before he proceeded to evade two Real Madrid challenges and roll the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
PSG now have a precious lead to hold on to ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium thanks to the heroics of the impressive Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid were reduced to mere spectators in the game, as they struggled to lay a single finger on Les Parisiens. They failed to record a single shot on target in the game.
