Kylian Mbappé, without necessarily shining, scored a brace against FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. His performance generated a lot of buzz across Europe on Wednesday morning.
After missing out in the first leg, Kylian Mbappé was under heavy scrutiny for the return leg against FC Barcelona. Unlike the previous week, the French international wasn’t positioned on the left flank of Paris Saint-Germain’s attack but rather in the center, a position he seems to favor.
In a match that heavily favored PSG, with Araujo’s expulsion just half an hour into the game, Kylian Mbappé managed to make his mark when needed. Without shining brightly, he contributed to burying his opponent by confidently converting a penalty and then scoring the fourth and final goal of the match to secure his brace. The performance of the Parisian star earned him a rating of 7 in our columns. While the newspaper L’Équipe was more generous with a rating of 8, the European press seemed rather impressed by Mbappé’s ability to deliver, even when not at his best.
In Spain, particularly in the Madrid-based press, there was inevitable relish in his performance. “Kylian Mbappé killed Barcelona,” declared AS on its front page. “Barcelona fell to a rather subdued Mbappé, who only appeared towards the end.” Marca echoed a similar sentiment, highlighting Mbappé’s phenomenal statistics against Barcelona. “Mbappé, the poison of FC Barcelona,” wrote the Spanish daily before continuing, “Mbappé wasn’t at his best but it’s already a nightmare for Barça without even donning the white of Real Madrid. It wasn’t his best match, but he scored two goals. He now has 6 goals against Barça, the team he has scored the most against in the Champions League. Beware, he already has 41 goals in 40 matches this season, marking the third season he has surpassed the 40-goal mark…”
Goals are something Kylian Mbappé clearly knows how to deliver, and it certainly pleases. Following his performance on Tuesday, the English press also noted his ability, reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo in his later career, to score even when he seems too quiet in the game. “Kylian Mbappé’s brace propelled PSG into the semi-finals as Barcelona imploded. The French superstar won’t be there this summer, but he could still offer them a first Champions League,” headlines The Sun.
“The late brace by Kylian Mbappé allows PSG to complete a stunning comeback to reach the Champions League semi-final. Mbappé was lethal when it mattered,” wrote the Daily Mail, while the Guardian mainly talks about “Mbappé sealing a wild PSG victory.” In Italy, they also followed Kylian Mbappé’s performance from afar. And the analysis is the same: KM7 shocks with his ability to turn the tide. “The turnaround for Kylian Mbappé,” blares the Gazzetta Dello Sport. “Super Mbappé. He turned it around to score a brace and become the top scorer of this Champions League season. Yesterday, against Barcelona, he was also in the white shirt, and it wasn’t even his best night.”
After his performance on Tuesday evening, Kylian Mbappé won’t convince everyone, but he confirms that even when he seems off, he remains far too formidable for opposing defenses. And Europe now seems to wonder if this might just be Mbappé’s year…
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