By Safiu Kehinde
Paris Saint-Germain secured a 1-0 advantage over Real Madrid all thanks to Kylan Mbappe’s late winner at the Champions League Round of 16.
The Parisiens faced a heavy task after getting pitched against the Los Blancos. Their quest for a first Champions League trophy continued since they lost out to Bayern Munich in their first ever final in 2020.
With a line-up spearheaded by triple-threat attackers – Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Kylan Mbappe, PSG were obviously desperate for a win, giving Real Madrid no other option than to be on the defensive against the dominant Parisiens.
From the blow of the kick-off whistle, PSG posed to be the dangerous side with a strong determination of wrecking havoc on Los Blancos. The best chance of the first-half came in the 18th minute when Lionel Messi’s through ball met Kylan Mbappe. Unfortunately, the young Frenchman could not rid past Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois who parried the ball to the far corner.
The first-half was one-sided as PSG amassed 61% ball possession while Real Madrid recorded 39%. Lionel Messi also had a couple of chances denied by Madrid’s watertight defense. The Argentine had been having a tough start to life since his move from Barcelona to Parc Des Princes.
PSG picked up from where they stopped following the blow of the second-half. Mauricio Pochettinho’s men all they had against Real Madrid, but they met the unyielding Real Madrid’s back four which comprised of Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Dani Carvajal. Thibaut Courtois also continued his clinical saves to keep Real Madrid’s faint hope alive.
However, another golden chance came knocking in the 61st minute. Kylan Mbappe was brought down in the box by Dani Carvajal with VAR gifting PSG a penalty. Lionel Messi stepped up in an attempt to nail Madrid — just like the good old days. His effort was, however, denied by Courtois as the Belgian sent the ball into the corner.
Despite recording eight shots on target and nine off target, PSG could not get the best out of Carlos Ancelloti’s men until the final minute before stoppage time.
Kylan Mbappe once again displayed his indispensable talent after bursting through Madrid’s defense following a back-heel pass from substitute, Neymar.
The Frenchman pulled a stunt on the retreating Madrid defenders before rounding up Thibaut Courtois to give PSG a well-deserved victory against Real Madrid who could only record one shot on target and two off target across 90 minutes of play.
