Without necessarily playing a standout match, Kylian Mbappé was decisive for PSG on Tuesday night against FC Barcelona with his brace. The French forward, accustomed to scoring away goals in Champions League knockout matches since the beginning of his career, is now more than ever threatening Cristiano Ronaldo for the top spot in this ranking.
PSG needed an efficient Kylian Mbappé in front of goal to reverse the trend against FC Barcelona and secure their ticket to the Champions League semi-finals. That has now been achieved, as the capital club emerged victorious in Catalonia (4-1) with Mbappé, the captain of the French national team, notably scoring twice. Mbappé may not have been particularly brilliant in the game, but he was still one of the main architects of PSG’s qualification with his brace. And he’s closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo with his impressive stats…
Mbappé ahead of Benzema… and soon CR7?
Opta Jean reports a statistic that speaks volumes about Kylian Mbappé’s formidable efficiency in the Champions League. Thanks to his brace against Barcelona on Tuesday night, the PSG striker is now the second-highest scorer in history for away matches in the knockout stage of the Champions League with 15 goals. He surpasses legends such as Karim Benzema (14 goals), Lionel Messi (12), and Sadio Mané (10). But most importantly, Mbappé could soon be poised to claim the top spot, currently held by Cristiano Ronaldo with 23 goals.
“It’s another step”
Speaking to PSG TV after the victory against Barça, which meant qualification for the Champions League semi-finals, Mbappé didn’t hide his satisfaction: “It’s the victory of the entire group. We need to congratulate everyone, all the behind-the-scenes people at the club. Of course, the staff, the players, we’re the ones in the spotlight, but truly, the entire club prepared for this encounter with the idea that we wouldn’t leave disappointed. And we’re very happy to return with this qualification. And it’s another step, another step towards the final at Wembley.” Now, the question remains whether he will further narrow the gap with Cristiano Ronaldo in the next European away trip to Dortmund…
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