Sports
KYLIAN Mbappe capped a fine display with two goals as Paris St-Germain comfortably moved into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Real Sociedad.
With the trip to San Sebastian billed as a potentially tricky second leg for PSG to negotiate, all eyes were on Mbappe, who has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.
And the France forward turned in a superb performance to register his 27th and 28th goals of the campaign for Luis Enrique’s side.The 25-year-old served an early warning to the hosts by accelerating past Hamari Traore to tee up a chance for Bradley Barcola, which was well saved by home goalkeeper Alex Remiro.And six minutes later Mbappe opened his account for the evening, latching on to Ousmane Dembele’s pass and teasing home defender Igor Zubeldia, before whipping a right-foot effort into the bottom-right corner with such power and precision that it temporarily dislodged the netting.Mbappe’s second of the night arrived shortly after the break as he raced clear down the left to collect Lee Kang-in’s pass and then emphatically dispatched a disguised low shot past Remiro at his near post.It was no more than the Parisiens deserved with Imanol Alguacil’s Sociedad team far too passive in the opening stages and only sparking into life after they had fallen four goals behind on aggregate.By then it was far too late with Mikel Merino’s driven effort in the closing minutes proving merely a consolation.The draw for the last eight of the competition takes on Friday, 15 March (11:00 GMT).
Departing Mbappe sparkles for PSG
One week after their Copa del Rey semi-final exit to Mallorca on penalties there was more disappointment for Real Sociedad – though this time it came from a predictable source.
Since announcing his intention to leave Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique’s handling of Mbappe has been questioned with PSG’s star man relegated to the substitutes’ bench and withdrawn early from matches.
However, if the manager’s decisions have been made with one eye on the future, Mbappe’s performance here only served to deliver a painful reminder of the huge void he will need to fill in the summer.
The hosts knew all about the danger the forward posed, but stopping him is an entirely different matter.
Zubeldia and Traore were in close proximity when he opened the scoring but neither was able to intervene.
And with PSG dominating in midfield for the first hour of the encounter, Mbappe, described as “probably the most dangerous man on the planet at the minute” by former England striker Michael Owen on TNT Sports, was given a seemingly endless supply line to inflict damage as his side reached the last eight for the first time since 2021.
BBC
6th March, 2024.
C.E.
