February also begins very modestly for Qatar club PSG. Although the Ligue 1 series champion has been able to win an away game in the league for the first time since the beginning of November, superstar Kylian Mbappé has to go down injured. Things are getting tight for the Champions League first leg against FC Bayern.
Paris St. Germain is worried about superstar Kylian Mbappé before the round of 16 first leg in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. The French national player had to leave the field after 21 minutes after a tackle by Leo Leroy in the 3-1 (0-0) win at Montpellier. The striker, who suffered knee and thigh injuries, later left the stadium with a pained face, fueling concern for himself. Defender Sergio Ramos was also unable to finish the game. He is suspected of having a concussion.
After PSG's first away win in the league in 2023, several media reported about the club's major concerns about Mbappé, even if coach Christophe Galtier did not want to publicly agree. He does not yet know the extent of the injury. "He took a hit on the knee, behind the thigh. It doesn't look serious. We're not too worried." But that could change after an investigation early Thursday. The Parisians have only twelve days until the first game against Bayern Munich and quite a few at the club are said to fear a race against time.
Even before the injury, it wasn't Kylian Mbappé's evening. The 24-year-old failed twice when attempting to put a penalty in the goal of Montpellier keeper Benjamim Lecomte. After the 31-year-old saved the first penalty but moved off the line too early, he was able to deflect Mbappé's second shot into the post in the tenth minute.
Just a few minutes after Mbappé's substitution, PSG also lost defender Sergio Ramos, who complained of dizziness and had to leave the field in the 32nd minute when the score was 0-0. Under surprising pressure in the French league, the series champions then struggled with the relegation candidates for even longer. Two Paris goals were disallowed for offside and it was only in the 55th minute that the visitors were able to take the lead through Fabián Ruiz.
Substitute Warren Zaire-Emery wrote club history after a goal from Lionel Messi and Arnaud Nordin's reply in the 89th minute. At 16 years and 330 days, his added-time goal made him the youngest goalscorer in PSG league history.
With their first away win in Ligue 1 since November 6, 2022, leaders PSG were able to increase the gap to Olympique Marseille to five points after a little more than half the season. But for the coming weeks, concerns about Mbappé are currently predominant in Paris. The top scorer could be out not only against Bayern on February 14, but of course also before that in the important away games at Olympique Marseille in the cup and at fourth-placed AS Monaco in the league.
