It was a match within a match. This Wednesday evening, there was PSG-FC Barcelona of course, but there was also Kylian Mbappé against Barça too. The Bondynois, who is widely followed in Spain, even more so since he was announced to Real Madrid this summer, was watched against his future rival. Beyond that, Kylian Mbappé also had to be present in a major European meeting while PSG still covets a C1. But it won’t be this time, on the contrary. In this quarter-final first leg, the PSG striker was completely transparent (rated 3 by the FM editorial team), incapable of making a difference and igniting a match that his team really needed to ignite.
Obviously, against Barça, which is no longer the great Barça of the Messi-Suarez-Neymar era, the expectations around Kylian Mbappé were high. And the Spanish press did not fail to point out that the French international was very disappointing in this meeting, even the worst Parisian offensive of the match. The Catalan daily newspaper Mundo Deportivo did not fail to tackle Kylian Mbappé. “Barça’s executioner during the previous 2021 qualifying round with four goals – three on the first leg and one on the return – went completely unnoticed this time. Madrid’s big goal for next summer – and there are already three – had more than discreet statistics. This time he played the full 90 minutes, but he barely had shots on goal twice and both were blocked. A detail of his despair in the match is that he committed three fouls and, on the other hand, did not suffer any, which shows very well the defensive work of Barça with him. »
A performance highlighted
An analysis ultimately shared by the three other major Spanish dailies (A.S., Sport And Marca). “Koundé had already warned Tuesday afternoon that he was ready to face Mbappé if it was his turn and that he knew him well from the national team. And the Frenchman more than lived up to expectations. In fact, the Barça defender completely canceled out the PSG striker who, practically, did not benefit from any clear opportunity.continues the MD. Same story for Sport. The daily life of Barcelona is not at all kind to Mbappé. “Jules Koundé minimized Mbappé’s presence to the point of making him disappear and making him desperate. He only fired twice. Mbappé stood out more for his protests to the referee and his recriminations towards his teammates than for his ability to overflow. He lost 13 balls in his match.
Madrid daily newspapers Marca And A.S. did not spare the Parisian scorer either. “Mbappé’s chances of winning the Champions League with PSG are disappearing. This evening, he tiptoed into a vibrant duel against Barça.explains in his columns Marca. For his part, A.S. is much more spicy with the future Real Madrid player. “It’s Raphinha, the Brazilian, who finishes PSG with two extraordinary goals under the helpless gaze of Kylian Mbappé, the French star, who disappeared for ninety minutes.” To redeem himself, Kylian Mbappé will have to offer much better in the return match. Expected, like this Wednesday, he will have to respond to qualify his people. He will also have to show that his compatriot Aurélien Tchouameni was right to explain that the Spanish public would be shocked to see KM7 on a daily basis. Because at the moment, this is not the case…
Pub. THE
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