Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a sensational last-gasp victory.
Given the anticipation that Mbappe will join Real Madrid at the conclusion of the season, most of the build-up to the match focused on him, and he ultimately made the difference at the Parc des Princes.
PSG appeared to be frustrated, as the France striker had been denied on several times by Thibaut Courtois, who had also saved a Lionel Messi penalty that Mbappe had won.
But, with time running out, Mbappe scored to give PSG a slim lead heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
From the start, Mbappe appeared eager to impress, beating Dani Carvajal and crossing for Angel Di Maria to score from eight yards.
He next got in behind Eder Militao, but Courtois pounced on a deflected Danilo Pereira header at the resulting corner to tip his mishit left-footed shot around the post.
Mbappe was kept quiet for the rest of the first half by Madrid’s defensive tightening, but he came alive again early in the second, forcing Courtois into a fantastic stop down to his right.
PSG’s greatest chance came just beyond the hour, when Mbappe won a penalty from the clumsy Carvajal, but Courtois came to Madrid’s rescue once more.
Mbappe collected substitute Neymar’s exquisite backheel, jinked between two defenders, and scored between Courtois’ legs — with the help of a tiny deflection – to win the game just as Madrid appeared to have survived a late attack.
Source: Livescore news
