Mbappe who has been repeatedly tipped to join Madrid when his contract in Paris expires in June, struck with a last-gasp strike which now means that his current club have the edge heading into the return at the Santiago Bernabeu which is expected to happen on March 9th.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that Balon d’Or winner, Messi was coming up against Madrid for the first time since leaving Barcelona, for whom he scored against a record number of 26 times in the ‘Clasico’ over his years at the Camp Nou.
PSG’s pressing game suffocated their opponents, although Madrid were seemingly quite happy to defend deep and give up possession, aware that a 0-0 draw would do just fine with the away goals rule scrapped from this season.
That meant Karim Benzema, Madrid’s top scorer making his return after a three-game spell out injured, saw practically none of the ball along with the two players flanking him, Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio.
For most of the first half, PSG played perhaps their best football since the arrival of Messi last August. Yet Courtois only really had to make one save of note in that time, to deny Mbappe in the 18th minute.
The visitors would have tried to regroup at half-time, but less than five minutes after the restart Mbappe forced Courtois into an excellent save low to his right.
Courtois then topped that by diving to his left to keep out Messi’s 62nd-minute penalty, awarded after Mbappe was chopped down by Dani Carvajal, who he had tormented all evening.
The French club failed to score when on top in the first half and had now squandered a glorious chance to go in front. The miss summed up Messi’s underwhelming PSG career so far.
In the last minute of stoppage time, Mbappe burst into the box from the left and between two defenders before finishing past Courtois for his 22nd goal this season.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
