In spite of losing to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain has cause to believe that they can still avoid another early departure from Europe’s premier club championship thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s cameo after returning from injury.
Mbappe did not appear to have recovered from a thigh injury as quickly as anticipated because, when he entered the game for the final 30 minutes, his lightning-quick pace sent the Bayern defense into a frenzy.
The France star was unable to spur a comeback as Bayern exited Parc des Princes with a 1-0 victory, but only a valiant Yann Sommer stop and a questionable offside decision prevented him from tying the score.
“We only lost 1-0, there are no more away goals, and if we play our attacking game, cause them problems and score once, we’ll be level,” Mbappe said as he looked ahead to the return leg in Germany on March 8.
“We are not beaten, not at all. We still have every chance.”
However, despite having Lionel Messi and Neymar in their assault as well, Tuesday’s encounter just served to emphasize how much PSG depends on Mbappe.
Before Mbappe came off the bench, the away team had already taken the lead thanks to Kingsley Coman, and Messi and Neymar struggled to have any significant impact on the game in the opening 57 minutes.
The Argentine may have recently led his nation to World Cup victory, and Neymar may still be the most expensive footballer in the world, but there was a reason PSG was so anxious to hold onto Mbappe last year when it appeared he would go with Real Madrid.
“When he came on Mbappe completely lifted the atmosphere in the stadium and that also gave the other players a lift,” admitted Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“It is clear that Kylian Mbappe can change any game.”
