Watching Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain tear Barcelona to shreds at Camp Nou on Tuesday evening in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie, it felt there’s a new king in town. The Parisians won the game 4-1, with Frenchman embodying their pace, power and ingenuity.
Barcelona, off the pace in La Liga and handed a tough Champions League draw after finishing second in their group, went into the game in lower morale than usual, albeit having turned a corner in terms of their league form. They took the lead inside the opening half-hour, Lionel Messi converting a penalty kick after Frenkie de Jong was fouled inside the box.
PSG equalised shortly after. It was Mbappe who struck, taking the ball from Marco Verratti, creating space in the box and then finishing lethally. The French marksman doubled his tally shortly after the hour mark, seizing on a loose ball, before completing a historic hat-trick in the final ten-minutes, finishing off a deadly counter-attack with a sublime effort. Moise Kean, on loan from Everton, scored PSG’s third goal.
Mbappe, speaking post-match, played his cards close to his chest regarding his future as per by Marca. “The PSG shirt is one that I cherish and carry in my heart,” he said. “My future? It would be stupid to decide my future based on just one game. It’s something to reflect on for the long term. I’ve always said that I’m happy here and games like that make you very happy.”
