25-year-old France skipper Kylian Mbappé has been the hottest subject in the world of football since the start of the new calendar year of 2024, and the performance of Mbappé’s brace in French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain’s away cup tie versus the Spanish La Liga‘s Real Sociedad in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg once again stole the headlines, but this time for the right reason. On top of the 2-0 triumph at Parc des Princes three weeks ago, Mbappé’s brace gave PSG a monumental 4-1 result over two legs of contests between the two European outfits, and the French giants’ hopes of winning their inaugural UCL trophy this season remained alive with Mbappé’s brace.
Mbappé’s Brace Avoided Any Potential Real Sociedad Upsets
Mbappé’s brace was kickstarted with a goal within the opening 15 minutes of the UEFA Champions League Last 16 at Anoeta. The French talisman had to thank his older compatriot and ex-Barcelona player Ousmane Dembélé when the latter managed to find him with a through ball, allowing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner to travel into the penalty box. The 25-year-old then faked his defenders to create space for a shot at the goal, which was scored from an almost impossible angle to the far post for the first goal of Mbappé’s brace, bringing Luis Enrique’s team’s advantage to 3-0 over two legs of the round of 16 stage.
The following tally of Mbappé’s brace came four minutes prior to the hour mark, this time it was substitute Lee Kang-in who provided the France footballer the assist. A failed offside trap by the home team allowed the South Korean Lee to unleash Mbappé at the left wing, and the Frenchman showed why he is arguably the fastest football player in the world, with the second goal of Mbappé’s brace being calmly slotted into the bottom left corner at the end of that devastating attacking movement.
Mbappé’s brace gave Paris Saint-Germain a four-nothing lead, but this did not prevent the home team of Real Sociedad from netting a consolation effort before the stoppage time was given in the second 45 minutes. Takefusa Kubo, also known as the Japanese Messi, teed up with Beñat Turrientes, who then had his strong shot parried away by the giant Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian shot stopper’s effort rebounded into the feet of Mikel Merino, before he squeezed the ball into the back of the net to pull one back for Real Sociedad in the cup tie. The final whistle would end with PSG winning 4-1 over two legs in the UCL Last 16.
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Mbappé’s Brace Brought His Season Tally to 34 Goals in 2023/2024
Kylian Mbappé‘s brace meant he has found the net 34 times in as many games in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023/2024 Season. Furthermore, Mbappé’s brace brought his total tally in PSG jerseys to 246 goals in 294 appearances for the French powerhouses, making the all-time leading goal scorer of the club’s history four tallies shy from reaching two and a half centuries of goals with the club, a milestone which is likely to achieve later this season.
Apart from leading PSG to another appearance in the UCL Quarterfinals, Mbappé’s brace also saw him level with Harry Kane as the joint-top goal scorers of the competition at six goals apiece. Interestingly, both Mbappé and Kane are the respective captains of their national teams in France and England, and the Three Lions forward had also contributed a brace in the other UCL Last 16 matchup between the Bavarians and SS Lazio from the Italian Serie A yesterday, leading the Thomas Tuchel-led side to an overall 3-1 triumph and the UCL Last 8 as a result. In case you did not watch the game live, do check out this article for the full match details of this continental cup tie.
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Enrique’s Verdicts After PSG Defeated Real Sociedad on Top of Mbappé’s Brace
Enrique was satisfied with his team’s performance in the second leg, the Spaniard noted: “On paper, it’s very easy. Every coach plans for the win on paper. But it’s the players that have to understand it and go out there and do it. They have to know when to attack, when to hold onto the ball and I think they all played very well. It’s very important and also very rewarding to be part of a team. All our players, since the start of the season, in this competition and all the other competitions too, they have displayed a great attitude, the perfect approach and I think they are continuing to grow and get stronger and stronger.”
Enrique’s statement was supported by young PSG defender Lucas Beraldo, who went on to comment about his thoughts over the 2-1 away victory. “I think it was a great performance as you said. The whole team managed to perform their role in the best way possible so that we could come away with the qualification tonight. Personally? I’m feeling really good but it’s not just me, it was the whole team who carried out their roles really well tonight. Everyone did exactly what the coach asked from us and we managed to get the win,” stated the 20-year-old Brazilian.
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg fixtures will be continued tonight with German Bundesliga 1’s RB Leipzig visiting Santiago Bernabéu to face 14-time European Cup / UCL winners Real Madrid and the defending champions of the top-tiered European club football competition Manchester City taking on F.C. Copenhagen at Etihad. Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos and Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens currently have an edge over their opponents of tonight after their 1-0 and 3-1 wins in the first legs respectively. Remember to catch these games live via AsiaSport.com‘s amazing live stream services. Trust us, you will not regret in using their services for FREE!
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ALLEZ PSG ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/wbbOzC3oyf
— GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA (@donnarumma) March 5, 2024
