Kylian Mbappé continues to make himself indispensable in this Paris Saint-Germain. After his individual feat offering victory to his family in Round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Real Madrid (1-0), the Parisian striker had not experienced this success during their defeat at La Beaujoire against FC Nantes (3-1). By hosting AS Saint-Etienne, he was keen to raise his level of play and be decisive in front of his home crowd.
Holder at the forefront of Mauricio Pochettino’s attack, Mbappé played his last game this Saturday evening before returning to Madrid, since he is suspended for the trip to Nice next Saturday. Entering the lawn of the Parc des Princes, the former Monegasque must not have missed the banner of the Collectif Ultras Paris “From Bondy to Paris, Kylian, your story is written here!” If he has not yet decided on his future, he who is free of any contract next June, the number 7 of PSG has responded to the Greens.
The handyman
Rated 8.5 by our editorial staff, Kylian Mbappé had to wait for Denis Bouanga’s opener to blast the opposing defense. If he is first defeated by a vigilant Paul Bernardoni, he takes advantage of a brilliant through pass from Lionel Messi and deceives the doorman of the Greens, guilty of a hand fault before the break (40th). The Parisian does not need time after returning from the locker room and doubles the bet with a cross shot, again served by the Pulga for his 10th assist (47th).
Efficiency in front of goal, Mbappé illustrated it with his second double of the season in all competitions. He also equaled Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the second top scorer in PSG history (156 goals). But he also knows how to offer caviars to his teammates: five minutes later, his millimeter cross finds the head of Danilo Pereira, alone at the far post (52nd). The Portuguese also praised his teammate at the microphone of Canal + : “It’s more the pass than the goal. The pass from the outside of the foot was magnificent. I thought he was going to make the pass, it was easier.
“A fantastic player”
If we thought that his presence on his pitch would be shortened by a thigh problem in the first period, Mbappé still shone with the goal and the pass in a single meeting: it is already the fifth time this season that the Parisian has succeeded find the way to the net and deliver a caviar to his teammates. An enlarged palette which not only hoists him at the top of the scorers’ rankings (14 achievements) and leader tied with Messi among passers (10 assists).
His trainer Mauricio Pochettino showered him with praise at a press conference: “It’s amazing, wonderful. We are very happy with him, that he is with us. I’m proud of him. I’m very happy because we finished the matches very well. We played the second half the way we wanted to play. Kylian is a fantastic player.” A great evening for KM7 before returning to the pitch in Madrid, where he will have to confirm the victory in the first leg…
