Kylian Mbappe scored the first goal as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday to move them towards the Champions League quarter-finals A big step forward.
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PSG’s mediocre first half performance at the Parc des Princes may have left their supporters fearful of another disappointing result in the knockout stages of the Champions League for many years.
But Mbappe, who is expected to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, broke the deadlock from close range just an hour before kick-off.
Bradley Barcola’s superb 70th-minute strike made it 2-0, giving the Ligue 1 champions a comfortable cushion when they return to face Spain early next month.
“We scored in crucial moments. We are happy with the first step. There is still a lot of work to do but it is good to go there with an advantage,” Mbappe told broadcaster Canal Plus.
Captain Marquinhos added: “We had big difficulties in the first half but we knew that was going to be the case.
“The coach came down hard on us at half-time and I think that helped because our attitude was much better in the second half.
“We know how important it is to win at home but it’s not over yet. We need to keep the same mentality between now and then and continue to perform well in the league and then go there and perform well to ensure we qualify.”
PSG have reached the last 16 of the Champions League in five of the last seven seasons, so there is huge pressure heading into this game.
Another early exit this season would be a huge setback for the Qatari club, especially as Real Sociedad appear in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in two decades.
They also travel to Paris but have failed to score in their last four games and are yet to win in all competitions.
In addition to this, they have lost captain and top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal as he recovers from injury.
PSG have handed January signing Lucas Berardo, 20, a Brazilian, the left-back spot in the Champions League as they aim to extend a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions dating back to early November .
Away team threat
However, Mbappe’s early shot was blocked by visiting goalkeeper Alex Remiro, which was effectively the only threat in their poor first half.
![Real Sociedad captain Mikel Merino hits the crossbar in the first half](https://s.france24.com/media/display/85f90980-cb86-11ee-963a-005056bf30b7/325006fe0f5e52a49a0c938c9a6a5908fabd3927.jpg)
Instead, the visitors were the group winners ahead of Inter Milan, who looked more comfortable and came closest to scoring before the break.
In the final minute of the half, captain Mikel Merino controlled the ball before hitting a piledriver from 25 meters from the top of the crossbar.
PSG finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when Ousmane Dembélé took a corner kick from the right, which Marquinhos fired into the back post and Mbappe fed the ball in.
It was his 31st goal in all competitions this season and fourth in the Champions League for the France captain, who is widely expected to move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
It was a relief for the home side and Mbappe almost scored again in the 63rd minute when he regained the ball high up the pitch and fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area which hit the crossbar and was cleared by Remiro.
Luis Enrique’s side scored again with 20 minutes to go when Bacola received the ball on the left and rounded Hamari Traore as he entered the penalty area before passing the ball to Remy. Ronaldo, scored his first Champions League goal.
Real Sociedad cannot find a way back into the competition as their goalless run stretches to five games.
They now have a mountain to climb when they face Paris Saint-Germain in San Sebastian on March 5, although France supporters will remain wary given their impressive performances against Barcelona and Madrid in recent years. Zhong collapsed at this stage. others.
(AFP)