Kylian Mbappe believes the best is still to come from Paris Saint-Germain after his stunning hat-trick helped the French club to a memorable 4-1 win over Barcelona in their Champions League last 16, first leg at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
“We are very pleased. It was a very important match for us. We wanted to come here and win and we have done it in style,” Mbappe told French broadcaster RMC Sport after PSG came from behind to close in on a place in the quarter-finals.
The win was secured despite PSG being without the injured Neymar and Angel Di Maria, and despite Barcelona taking a first-half lead through a Lionel Messi penalty. Moise Kean scored PSG’s other goal.
Asked about the role of recently-appointed coach Mauricio Pochettino in PSG’s victory, Mbappe insisted the Argentine had built on the foundations that were already in place under his predecessor. “The coach has done a marvellous job since he arrived but he has also carried on the work done by Thomas Tuchel who had done an extraordinary job taking us to the final,” said the 22-year-old.
“Things have been a bit disrupted for him because he had Covid, not to make excuses, but we are improving. We are not yet at our peak. Today was great but we will keep trying to make progress so that we can repeat this type of performance.”
Mbappe is just the second visiting player to score a hat-trick against Barcelona in a Champions League match at the Camp Nou after Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kiev in 1997. That 4-0 defeat against the Ukrainians in a group-stage game was also the last time Barca had let in four goals at home in Europe.
“This match was magnificent but we have won nothing,” warned Mbappe, with the second leg still to come in Paris on March 10. The last tie between these clubs, in the last 16 in 2017, saw PSG win 4-0 in the first leg at home only to infamously crumble and lose 6-1 in the return.
However Mbappe insisted his side will immediately return their focus to the Ligue 1 title race and a weekend game against Monaco. “We are fully focused on our objectives and we have another important match coming up on Sunday in the league, because we are not top and we have no margin for error.
So we need to turn attentions straight back to the league,” he said.
On Tuesday night, Mbappe underlined his status as the rising superstar of world football with a ruthless display of finishing at Camp Nou that will go down as one this competition’s most devastating individual performances. “The great footballers write their stories in the biggest matches,” said Pochettino. “We had no doubts before the game and even less now that we are seeing a top, top player.”
Koeman had gambled on the fitness of Gerard Pique, who had not played a game in almost three months due to a knee ligament injury. But to rub salt into the wounds, Pique trudged off late on just as PSG were running riot.
This was a chastening experience for Koeman’s youthful side, who had shown signs of a resurgence in recent weeks in La Liga but were exposed against an opponent of an altogether different class. Koeman was even asked if he wanted to continue as coach but was defiant.
The warning signs for the hosts came early as Mbappe sped in behind their central defence after 52 seconds, only for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to clear just in time. For half an hour, the chances just kept coming, at both ends.
Antoine Griezmann scuttled through but was denied by Keylor Navas at the near post and then Pedri made up for a miscontrol by dashing back to prevent Mauro Icardi’s finish from trickling in. Messi’s pass led to Barca’s opener, a clipped ball over the top attracting the gaze of Layvin Kurzawa as he tracked back and inadvertently tripped Frenkie de Jong in front of him.
Messi slammed the penalty into the top corner. PSG were briefly shell-shocked and for the next five minutes, Koeman’s men chased a second, with Messi freeing Ousmane Dembele in the area but he failed to connect.
Yet as they gained in confidence, they also left gaps and PSG hit back. Mbappe had already seen a flicked finish blocked by Pique and moments later he made sure, taming Marco Verratti’s astute pull-back with one touch before feathering another expertly around Clement Lenglet in the six-yard box and unleashing past Ter Stegen.
Now the Parisians were on top, with Kurzawa thwarted by Ter Stegen’s fingertips and Barca relieved to reach half-time. But Mbappe was relentless, motoring past opponents every time he got the ball and never letting up.
Ter Stegen had to save a deflected shot from Kean before PSG took charge with two goals in five minutes.
Pique could only hack away Alessandro Florenzi’s cross to the feet of Mbappe, who clipped in his second, and then Kean headed home, left free at the back post by Lenglet.
Navas almost gifted Barcelona a lifeline when his clearance met Griezmann’s left foot and the ball drifted just wide of his own post. Instead, Mbappe landed the knock-out blow, teed up on the counter-attack and curling beautifully in the far corner.