PSG v Real Madrid. The standout fixture of the round of 16 in what is the grandest club competition in the world. Champions League nights, under the lights – there’s nothing quite like them. For this one there was the added spice of Messi facing his old Nemesis for the first time since leaving Barcelona; Mbappé playing against what could be his new club come the summer; and Neymar making his long-awaited return from injury. On paper, this match was one to get excited about. Expectations were high, and there was a real buzz about the Parc Des Princes ahead of kick off.
The script writers had a lot of options for how this one would play out, and they opted not for the old hat of Messi to come up trumps, but instead the young blood of Mbappé. In fact, the little Argentinian would’ve been breathing a sigh of relief when the Frenchman slalomed his way through the Madrid defence, cutting through like a hot knife through butter before cooly slotting home to dramatically win the match in stoppage time, because he had earlier fluffed his lines, after his tame effort from the spot was saved by Thibaut Courtois.
PSG huffed and puffed, with a lot of intricate passing never quite getting through the stubborn Madrid defence for the majority of the match. The wily experience of Kroos, Madrid and Casemiro broke up play time after time, and Madrid appeared content to take the 0-0 back to the Bernabeu for the second leg. But that man Mbappé was having none of it. A moment worthy of winning any match. Roll on part two.
Post time: Feb-17-2022