Real Madrid must have been counting their lucky stars. As their Champions League last-16 first leg match against Paris Saint-Germain ticked into stoppage time, Los Blancos were undoubtedly breathing a sigh of relief that they were likely to be heading home with a useful 0-0 draw. They didn’t account for Kylian Mbappé.
An audacious backheel from Neymar found Mbappé on the left flank, and from there it was pure instinct for the Frenchman. He zipped towards the penalty area, and as Lucas Vázquez and Éder Militão backed away, Mbappé smelled blood, jinking past them before coolly slotting the ball between the legs of Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.
Cue pandemonium in the Parc des Princes. An evening that had, up until that point, been immensely frustrating for the home supporters had suddenly taken a glorious turn. The thought of heading to Madrid without a lead would have left PSG’s fans biting their nails, but now they can make the trip to the Spanish capital with something to defend.
At one point, it felt as though it just wasn’t going to be PSG’s night. When they were awarded a penalty midway through the second half, after Mbappé had been taken out by Dani Carvajal, you would have bet your house on Lionel Messi tucking it away. Courtois had other ideas, getting down strongly to deny the Argentine what would have been his 27th career goal against Real Madrid.
The visitors offered little going forward, and having failed to pick up the draw they were hoping for, Carlo Ancelotti and co. may regret not being touch more adventurous in the way they went about things in Paris. Karim Benzema cut an isolated figure up front for most of the match, and although PSG hardly had a litany of chances themselves, it’s fair to say that Real Madrid didn’t present the best version of themselves in an attacking sense.
PSG hold the edge in the betting odds at https://www.betdaq.com, but there is still everything to play for ahead of the second leg. Real Madrid will be forced to come out of their shell a bit more and attack, but that will leave more space for the devastating trio of Mbappé, Messi and Neymar to exploit. Indeed, the latter was making his first appearance for a few months in the first leg, and he demonstrated with his assist that he’s keen to make up for lost time.
This was always one of the standout ties when the Champions League last 16 draw was eventually made, and you could sense the importance of the fixture in the way the game was played. In many ways, it felt similar to a Champions League tie of old, with few chances and a generally cagey atmosphere.
It’s all set up nicely for the second leg in Madrid, but Mpabbé’s brilliance has given PSG what could be a crucial advantage in their battle to make it to the quarter-finals. A raucous atmosphere will await the two sides at the Santiago Bernabéu, and Ancelotti will be hoping that his stars can produce magic to match.
