If there was a minimum doubt, Kylian Mbappé was in charge of resolving it in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 signing a performance worthy of the best player in the world. The French received both the praise of his teammates and his rivals after putting together an anthological performance in which he lacked absolutely nothing, showing that both Messi and Neymar are today a step or two behind the great quality of it.
The 23-year-old striker marked the only goal of the game until then hard. Luckily for Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois was in charge of stopping some of the stellar plays of a Kylian that each ball he touched turned it into gold for not forgetting that he pressed for him and for Messi throughout the match making a physical display more than enviable.
Mbappé warned four minutes into the game making the first of many overflows to Carvajal and putting a ball in the heart of the small area that Di María sent high. From that flash, each ball that the French striker touched made the white defense’s heart shrink. Courtois went all out to get a one-on-one in the 18th minute. Then early in the second half he took out another low ball that went in. Until finally in the 60th minute, Mbappé made a bicycle to get a penalty from Carvajal that Messi requested and that Courtois saved.
Despite this, good old Kylian did not give up in the slightest and tried everything to score the goal for Paris Saint Germain. Neymar took away the left wing leaving him without the bargain Carvajal forcing him to measure himself with the rock Mendy. TO Mbappe he didn’t care and overcame in speed in a play that did not end in a miracle goal in the final minutes of the second half. The white defender seemed to go in slow motion against his compatriot.
So much was the jug to the source that it finally ended up breaking in the 93rd minute -a minute that always brings a smile to Sergio Ramos- with a play that showed all the qualities of Mbappé. the gaul He moved to the left wing to receive a heel strike from Neymar. He immediately started the bike going to meet Lucas Vázquez and Militao whom he dodged with a ‘croquette’ type dribbling to the amazement of both. the battering ram got into the box like a knife through butter, stopped time, looked at Courtois and he put it under his legs in a definition that even Ronaldo Nazario himself would have signed.
Madrid fell in the Parc des Princes and it was neither the fault of Messi nor Neymar. Mbappé threw the last barrier that separated him from becoming immortal with a great match that only the chosen ones sign. We’ll see what happens with his future, but Real Madrid experienced first hand the advantages of having this ‘star’ from the area on your side.