In the round of 16 first leg, Kylian Mbappé came on late. He can't avert his Parisians' Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich, but just days before the second leg, he's in record form and ready for the bang in Munich. They must be warned.
Kylian Mbappé proudly presented the chunky gold trophy bearing the number 201 to his team-mates, then Paris St. Germain's new all-time record goalscorer announced further exploits. "There's still a lot to do," said the exceptional striker, adding with confidence in view of the smash hit in the Champions League at FC Bayern: "We're ready to take on the challenge."
The 24-year-old replaced the previous record holder Edinson Cavani with his 201st competitive goal in a PSG jersey in the 4-2 final score in the league game against FC Nantes. "I play to make history and I've always said I want to make history in France, in my country's capital, in my city - and I'm doing that now," Mbappé told Canal Plus.
A very special chapter is to follow on Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de) in Munich. The French champions' hopes of being able to make up for the 0-1 draw in the first leg of the round of 16 have one name in particular: Kylian Mbappé.
How important the World Cup top scorer is for Paris became clear again on Saturday evening - especially after the game. Mbappé was celebrated like a king. He embarked on a lap of honor with children wearing t-shirts with his likeness on them. And for the team photo with the PSG patron saint, the injured superstar Neymar even hobbled over on crutches.
At the time of his historic goal, Mbappé was also wearing the captain's armband. "For me, as a native of Paris, it's something special," he said, touched. World champion Lionel Messi (12th), Jaouen Hadjam (17th, own goal), Danilo Pereira (60th) and Mbappé (90th, 2) scored for the league leaders in the dress rehearsal for the second leg in Munich. However, he did not play completely convincingly, Paris lost a 2-0 lead against the middle-class team. Only Mbappé's 30th competitive goal in the 30th game of the season brought the final decision - and a memorable record.
