Well helped by Kylian Mbappé’s double, but also by a solid and efficient collective, Paris Saint-Germain never trembled on the pitch of Real Sociedad (1-2) and reached the quarter-finals of the Ligue des champions.
Paris Saint-Germain has experienced enough return matches where things go wrong, in the Champions League, not to appreciate this quiet qualification. Winner 2-1 on the pitch of Real Sociedad, after winning 2-0 in the first leg, the club from the capital thus offers itself a ticket for the quarter-finals of the C1, where an opponent awaits undoubtedly more formidable than the Basque club, disappointing in this double confrontation.
Finally, the dramaturgy focused on the three weeks which separated the first leg and the return, with the announcement of the departure of Kylian Mbappé, and the small pass of arms between the Bondynois and his coach, who did not not hesitated to take him out or send him to the bench on several occasions. Luis Enrique found that Mbappé had not been himself for some time. The captain responded by delivering a top-notch performance.
Already dangerous in the 9th minute with an overflow and a cross for Bradley Barcola, Mbappé opened the scoring with a high-class goal, with feints to offer himself an angle to strike, and a shot as powerful as it was perfectly placed (0 -1, 15th). The Parisian number 7 relieved his team with this goal, and after a shot repelled by Remiro (29th), his double at the start of the second period definitively killed the suspense (0-2, 55th).
Mbappé played 90 minutes
PSG can thank Mbappé, of course. But in an unprecedented scheme (with Dembélé in central attacking midfielder behind a very free Mbappé-Barcola duo), it is the entire Parisian collective which showed itself superior to its opponent in this return match, like the second goal Parisian: a long sequence of passes, where we can appreciate the beautiful forward pass from Lucas Beraldo, very comfortable in central defense, at his position.
PSG only released its grip in the last half hour, where Donnarumma delayed the deadline (78th), even if Merino ended up offering a small goal for the honor of the Anoeta public (1-2 , 89th). All the suspense then resided in this question: was Mbappé going to play 90 minutes for the first time since the first leg? The answer is yes. This Mbappé, in this competition, he is still better on the pitch.
