Tops
Mbappé blew up the Park
After Antoine Kombouaré in the 96th minute in 1993, PSG found another savior in the final moments against Real Madrid.
Even if it was only the first leg of an intense double confrontation.
It all happened in the 94th minute of this breathtaking encounter.
With a heel, Neymar launched Mbappé on the left wing.
The Frenchman has solutions in the surface but he prefers to go there alone.
He passes between Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez and comes to adjust Courtois with a shot between his legs.
A capital feat at the last minute of a match where he will have tried everything.
Striking a first time on Courtois (18th), then a second after the break (50th), he saw a third attempt slip right by (77th), without forgetting a penalty caused against Carvajal (62nd).
But as a great player he is,
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LiveChampions League: Mbappé gives PSG a late but deserved victory against Real Madrid
Courtois has long baffled Paris
8 saves.
Thibaut Courtois had work tonight at the Parc des Princes.
Being the last rampart of this chilly Real was not easy and the Belgian goalkeeper pulled out all the stops. For 90 minutes, he thus prevented the Parisians from concretizing their domination, his first duel against Mbappé having been decisive (18th).
But we will especially remember this hijacked Messi penalty which could have been a real turning point (62nd).
In the end, it took the genius of Mbappé to deceive him.
Verratti was once again omnipresent
True to form, Marco Verratti put in a lot of effort throughout the game and finally managed to hold out for 90 minutes.
The Italian was invaluable by his technical relays with Mbappé, Messi or Di Maria.
But he is also present to intercept and rake in all areas of the field, harassing the opposing ball carrier.
An essential link in the midfield.
Nuno Mendes, real revelation
The Portuguese side confirms outing after outing all his talent.
Confident of himself, despite his young age (19 years old), Nuno Mendes knew how to take his lane wisely and made him live behind Mbappé, then Neymar at the end of the match.
Regularly bringing his offensive share, he also defended well by being the author of a lot of decisive interventions.
On the other side, Hakimi was also on his feet, even if he was not always well served.
flops
Messi, in line with his season
He was the other expected player with Mbappé and he will have disappointed.
In line with his season, Lionel Messi has alternated the good but above all the less good.
The good when he distilled good balls, in particular this opening for Mbappé (18th) or this pass in the right tone for Neymar (87th).
The worst when he missed easy moves in the middle or made bad choices.
His main failure will remain this penalty diverted by Courtois shortly after the hour mark which could still have changed the scenario of this meeting.
He will have revenge to take on his return to the Bernabeu.
Read alsoThe exploits of Courtois, the failure of Messi on the penalty spot, the masterpiece of Mbappé: relive the highlights of PSG-Real Madrid (video)
Real's minimalist strategy did not pay off
Carlo Ancelotti had the will to manage this meeting as much as possible by asking his team to position themselves low enough to better launch counterattacks.
Except that Real played backwards.
Defending well, the people of Madrid however lacked skill in attacking transitions, with a very lonely Karim Benzema and a very rough Vinicius and Asensio at his side.
There is no doubt that Real will play much more daringly on the return.
Carvajal's nightmare
Real's right-back had the heavy task of defending against Mbappé.
And he obviously suffered.
Not knowing how to take it, the Spanish defender was in great difficulty and never knew how to find the solution, even committing a fatal foul in the area leading to a penalty.
Ancelotti preferred to take him out before the end but his replacement Lucas Vazquez encountered the same problems.
Di Maria, the weight of age
At 34, Angel Di Maria is starting to show his age and his performance against Real is not reassuring.
Borrowed since the start of the season, the Argentinian justified his difficulties by showing himself to be very little impactful with the ball at his feet.
He thus contented himself with back passes and never really animated the Parisian game, most often looking for his compatriot Lionel Messi in short relay.
No wonder he had to give way to a Neymar who found competition and got back on his feet.