Kylian Mbappe stands alone! PSG winners & losers as French forward breaks coveted record with late goal
Kylian Mbappe scored his 201st PSG goal to become their all-time top goalscorer in a back-and-forth win over mid-table Nantes on Saturday
Mbappe has probably never celebrated a routine finish with such vigour, the Paris Saint-Germain winger screaming in delight after smashing his record-breaking shot home to put his team up by two goals two minutes into stoppage time.
It was a strike of great personal significance for the 24-year-old, one that made him PSG’s all-time top goalscorer in all competitions as he further etched his name into the Ligue 1 history books.
Not long after, PSG honoured him with fireworks and a trophy ceremony on the field – all the decadence one would expect from the Parc des Princes.
His goal was rather handy for Saturday’s purposes, too, as it sealed a 4-2 victory that at times looked like it might escape PSG.
Lionel Messi got the Parisians going with a neat finish from close range for a 1-0 lead. Their second came a few minutes later, as Jaouen Hadjam bundled the ball into his own net.
But they never looked secure in their advantage. Ludovic Blas got the first for Nantes, beating Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post off a sliced cross. The equaliser from Nantes followed shortly after, Ignatius Ganago deflecting the ball in from a corner.
PSG reclaimed the lead in the second half through a Danilo Pereira header. Mbappe added a second in stoppage time, an emphatic finish from close range to break the PSG all-time goalscoring record and secure three important
• Kylian Mbappe
There were equal parts joy and relief in Mbappe’s face.
The winger had tried and toiled to grab a goal, one that would make his PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer. And for 91 minutes, it eluded him. Goalkeeper Alban Lefont judged his every move, anticipated every shot.
But in the 92nd, Mbappe had his moment. He spun off a Nantes defender and thumped the ball in from close range for goal number 201.
PSG’s pre-prepared graphic flashed on the scoreboard, the stadium erupted in noise. It’s the kind of moment that Mbappe came to PSG for, the Paris native soaking in the spotlight while setting another individual record.
He’s still only 24, an age that represents the beginning of many successful first-team careers for mere mortals. He could retire now and be an all-time French great.
But, fortunately for his fans, he doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping the flow of goals anytime soon.
• Gianluigi Donnarumma
For all of his shot-stopping quality, Donnarumma is liable for an occasional mistake.
And he made a particularly poor one on Saturday. Donnarumma was beaten far too easily at his near post for Nantes’ first goal, failing to cover the front peg as Blas mishit a cross into the net. The goalie nearly fumbled in a second a few minutes later, spilling a shot from distance before PSG hacked the ball away.
Donnarumma was significantly more composed after the break, making a couple of tidy saves that PSG cruised to a relatively comfortable win. Still, he had a significant hand in destabilizing PSG’s lead.
And after Keylor Navas departed for Nottingham Forest, Galtier doesn’t have the luxury of another top-class option in the reserves, just in case…
• Lionel Messi
It’s all a bit easy for the Argentine at the moment.
After a rough January, the World Cup winner has come alive. He had a hand in all three PSG goals against Marseille last week, and got himself on the scoresheet here, too. His opener wasn’t the prettiest of strikes: Messi simply slipped into the box and turned in a deflected cross. But it was an important one, getting a slightly languid PSG team going.
There was more to this Messi performance, the usual exploitation of impossible angles and nonexistent spaces. He blasted one narrowly over after PSG conceded. He had a free kick saved at full stretch. And his defence-splitting pass almost gave PSG a penalty.
With Neymar out due to an ankle injury, Messi will need to continue to star for the Parisians.
PSG’s injury list
Galtier must wonder what he has to do to keep his players fit. it’s been a miserable season of injuries for PSG. And after Neymar and Presnel Kimpembe were both lost to long-term issues, the manager must have thought it couldn’t get any worse.
But he would be wrong in that assumption. Nordi Mukiele and Marquinhos were both removed with knocks in the second half, leaving PSG without a fit senior right-back and with only one experienced centre-back.
The two might not be out for long spells, but PSG face Bayern Munich in just four days in a crucial Champions League knockout tie. It’s a game they need to be as ready as possible for. And they might now have to make do without two more presumptive starters.
Danilo Pereira
Very quietly, Pereira has been one of PSG’s best players since the World Cup. The defensive midfielder is strong in a tackle, decisive on the ball, and a composed presence in a too-often chaotic side.
It helps, too, that the Portuguese is willing to play in a number of different positions. He functioned as a centre-back on Saturday and was arguably the best of PSG’s three central defenders. For an auxiliary player, he looks incredibly comfortable at an unfamiliar position.
Pereira also snagged a timely goal, meeting Mbappe’s cross with a neat header to give PSG the lead for good after an hour. He will likely have to continue to operate in central defence, with Presnel Kimpembe done for the season. On Saturday’s evidence, that might not be a bad thing at all.
• Getty Images
Jaouen Hadjam
The Nantes wing-back had a day to forget. First, he failed to track Messi on PSG’s opener. Then, he got his legs tangled and turned the ball into his own net to hand PSG a 2-0 lead. He was fortunate that his team scored two to equalise – rendering his two errors mostly irrelevant.
He’s not the only Nantes player who could’ve perhaps kept things more solid at the back, but his errors accounted for two goals.
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