A successful first leg against Real!
At the end of a controlled and collective performance which did not leave any space to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain was rewarded with a convincing victory thanks to a goal from a heroic Kylian Mbappé (1-0).
Stars in the eyes, an anthem that gives you goosebumps and a grandiose atmosphere: the air in the capital was full of magic for the return of the Champions League. For this dream match at the Parc des Princes, Mauricio Pochettino went for the same line-up as the one that started in Lille, with the trio of Di Maria-Messi-Mbappé in attack, while Marquinhos made his 100th appearance as captain at the other end.
From the start of the match, it was clear that our Parisians had come to this gala evening ready to live up to the occasion. A match with the appearance of a final, but which very quickly went in favour of our Red and Blue, who were ready to play at a thousand miles an hour! From Kylian Mbappé's first burst to rattle Carvajal (5'), to an effort from Leo Messi (17'), to Nuno Mendes' self-sacrifice and to the works of the artist Verratti: the capital was ready to be blown away by every action to pile the pressure on the Merengue out on the pitch!
With intense pressure, our Parisians took control of the game against a low Madrid block, without ever looking really threatened by any opposing counter-attacks and always showing a solidarity that allowed them to move up the field. One stat shows that: 134 passes in the final third for Paris, 47 for Madrid. All that remained was to turn this domination into something. And Paris kept their foot on the gas after the break.
Kylian Mbappé was in the driver's seat, once again testing Courtois with a lightning sequence at the end of a superb move (49') before causing havoc in the Madrid defence with the help of Messi, whose shot was saved by the Belgian (53'). After the hour mark, the Red Devils' goalkeeper kept his team in the game by saving a spot-kick from Leo Messi (62').
All the ingredients were there: intensity in the duels, showing for the ball, application, solidarity... All that was missing was a goal! For the last 20 minutes of the match, Mauricio Pochettino tried to force destiny, by sending Neymar Jr on the field to add the missing ingredient needed to gain an advantage in the tie... The Brazilian artist quickly took the spotlight, showing off his polished technique from his first touches and providing the sparks to light the fire in Kylian Mbappé's boots... who had one more surprise in store for us.
Electricity was in the air. The suspense was more palpable than ever. It was at this point that Kylian Mbappé popped up again! With yet another moment of magic, the world champion delivered the goal for Paris Saint-Germain in the last seconds, crowning a royal match (1-0, 90+4'.)
A very precious goal and a magical moment! At the end of a successful collective performance, and without receiving even a shot on target, Paris managed a promising victory at the Parc des Princes, before the return match, March 9, in Madrid... The date is set!