Lille – PSG (1-7): Kylian Mbappé’s goal in 9 seconds dissected

“I want to make a dedication to my technical staffinsisted Christophe Galtier afterwards with Prime Video. It’s a goal that we will not see again, you can imagine. Go see the Spanish and German championship, some have scored like that. And I give a little nod to our U19s who did it in the Youth League against Salzburg last year. Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano have also done so. Doing it in training and showing it is one thing, doing it in real life is another thing“. But how did the Parisians achieve this precocious masterpiece.

Phase 1: The Mbappé, Mendes and Vitinha races

Prepared, this kickoff was. When Neymar makes his pass to Verratti, four players are ready to jump into the opposing half: Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha on the right, Kylian Mbappé and Nuno Mendes on the left. Unlike his three other teammates, the Moroccan will start piano, crossing the line while walking.

After five seconds, Vitinha, Mbappé and Mendes are already at the same height as the LOSC defensive line. Better, they arrive launched. The Parisian striker takes the depth behind Fonte, taking care to slow his run just before reaccelerating to avoid offside, while Diakité and Gudmonsson left Mendes completely lonely on the left flank. The solutions for Messi are multiple and almost all equally dangerous…

Phase 2: The role of Neymar

The Brazilian is neither a scorer nor a decisive passer on this action but his role is essential. It is he who takes care, alone, of the commitment with this pass back to Marco Verratti. At first, he pretends to lose interest in the ball by turning his back on the game, as if a long game was going to be triggered. An attitude that makes his counter-appeal even more effective.

On a step, the Brazilian turns around to claim the ball at his feet, leaving Benjamin André a good two meters behind. His one-touch delivery to Messi is voluntarily retained, so that the Argentinian himself gives the power he wants to the ball.

Phase 3: Messi’s velvet pass

During this time, Messi had nothing to do. Posted to the right of Verratti at the time of kick-off, the Argentinian only goes into action once Neymar’s counter-call has been made. Like a quarterback, the left-hander scans the field before receiving the inflate. Two long options are available to him. The easiest, towards Nuno Mendes, completely lonely with a chasm in front of him. The most risky but therefore dangerous, towards Mbappé.

His decision is quickly made and on a support, he directs his body for a brushed pass from the inside of the left foot. All in one touch, of course. The rest is velvet. With the perfect spin and the right dosage, the ball lands in the perfect space, between the two centrals. The spin put into the ball slows it down after it bounces. Mbappé just has to finish.

Phase 4: Finishing

Messi’s cake arrived at its destination, we still have to conclude. Despite a high rebound, Mbappé chooses the right gesture, the one that imposes itself on him with this subtle lob. But his lead is such, as much on the hinge of LOSC as on Leo, who came out late, that the solutions available to him are multiple.

A control could have been considered but that would have deprived Mbappé of time. The most extraordinary undoubtedly lies in the possibility that the Frenchman has of serving Vitinha who continued his race. The Portuguese is also ahead and would only have to push the ball deep. One more proof that this so effective movement does not only reside in the talent of the artists present but indeed in the choreography imagined by others and brought up to date by Galtier. A nine-second ballet. Beauty is sometimes so short-lived…