Obviously, he concentrated all the looks, all the close-ups. Against Benfica on Tuesday, October 11, Kylian Mbappé left his mark on the Champions League match (1-1). Blame it on the latest information on departure intentions made public a few hours before kick-off, which projected the evening into another dimension.
Author of the opening of the Parisian score, but unable to make the difference again once the Lisboètes returned to height, Mbappé had a contrasting evening. All in an impression of normality, far from the craziness of the afternoon.
What was supposed to be a European evening like any other in the capital changed when several media echoed unexpected information: the Frenchman has desires elsewhere. Tuesday evening, his name was thus found in everyone’s mouths, in all questions at the Parc des Princes. The Parisian staff did not escape it, and the club’s influential football adviser Luis Campos went out to play firefighters in front of the television cameras. “For me, it is clear that Kylian Mbappé remains to complete his contract at PSG”, he assured RMC Sport, then repeated to Canal +. Before counterattacking and criticizing the release of information just before a game of this importance. Inevitably, the evening promised hell.
Man of the extra-sporting match, Kylian Mbappé ended up scoring the match on the pitch. As evidence, it was he who came forward, without question, encouraged by Neymar, to transform the penalty obtained by Juan Bernat just before half-time (40th). With this goal, he even allowed himself to enter a little more into the legend of his club, ahead of his only top scorer in the Champions League (31), ahead of the highly esteemed Edinson Cavani. Stirring until the end, he even thought to double the bet with a magnificent acrobatic recovery at the very end of the game, before being signaled offside.
31 – Kylian Mbappé scored his 31st goal for Paris in the Champions League, overtaking Edinson Cavani (30) and becoming the club’s only top scorer in the competition’s history. Pivot. #PSGSLB pic.twitter.com/UpCNCdGDkY
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 11, 2022
But he also sinned with a game that was sometimes too stereotyped, and waste, particularly in the centers. Christophe Galtier’s men ended up being joined on another penalty on the hour mark, dropping a first qualifying ball for the round of 16. Hit in the ankle after a big contact at the end of the game, Kylian Mbappé came out, grimacing, at the start of additional time, applauded by the stadium (90th).
Because in this burning context, the reaction of Parisian supporters and the Parc des Princes was also particularly expected. The stands have chosen not to take a dislike to their protege, cheered as usual when he arrives on the lawn and the announcement of the compositions. At the start of the match, the Parisian supporters praised all his ball catches and his good accelerations, even chanting his name on timeouts. Before celebrating with fervor the opening of the liberating score.
The name of #Mbappe chanted by the supporters of the Park. #PSGBEN @francebleuparis @francebleusport #fbsport pic.twitter.com/WYprbA3Bku
— Julien Froment (@JulienFroment) October 11, 2022
A communion also found on the meadow. Appearing all smiles in the tunnel before returning to the lawn, the Frenchman had fun with his partners. All are came to greet him after his goal, celebrated without gesture of humor or claim. And he is one of the first to come to inquire about Neymar’s condition when the Brazilian found himself on the ground, victim of a muscular intervention in the middle of the second period. “The only thing I can say is that I am very good friends with Kylian. He is very happy every day, he did not leave last year”swept Sergio Ramos at the microphone of Canal + after the meeting. “We are focused on our work, we do not read the newspapers.”