Mbappe PSG exit: As Paris Saint-Germain suffered a second straight early elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Kylian Mbappe acknowledged that his team had given their “full” effort.
PSG lost 2-0 in the return match at the Allianz Arena after falling behind 1-0 in the first leg in Paris, exiting the competition in the round of 16 for the sixth time in the previous seven seasons.
Bayern’s victory was secured by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who scored against his old team, and substitute Serge Gnabry.
“We were going to try our best, as I indicated at my first Champions League press conference this season. The PSG star striker Mbappe told reporters, “That’s our maximum, and that’s the reality.
“What did PSG lack? When you compare the two squads, not much. They have a fantastic team that is designed to win the Champions League.
Although its Qatari owners spent a significant amount of money on the transfer market, the French champions are still without a first-ever European Cup victory.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Warren Zaire-Emery, both 17 years old, were on the field when the match finished because Christophe Galtier’s team, although possessing 55% of the ball, was unable to defeat Munich.
After asking ourselves tough questions, the team will get back to business as usual in the league, Mbappe continued.
“We must proceed… In attempting to win the competition, we lost to a fantastic team.
Mbappe, who took over as captain after Marquinhos left the game hurt in the 36th minute, signed a sizable new contract with PSG that runs until 2022.
Neymar’s Surgery Leaves PSG without Him for Champions League Defeat
The Champions League defeat will unavoidably raise more concerns about whether the French star will remain at the Parc des Princes, despite the squad leading Ligue 1 by eight points.
When questioned about his future, he responded, “I’m peaceful. “This season, winning the league, is the only thing that matters to me. After that, we’ll see.”
Galtier, on the other hand, criticised his team’s defending for conceding after Bayern’s opening goal, which came after Marco Verratti was fouled inside his own area.
He remarked, “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take the chances we had.
Then, in the second half, we gave up a goal that was incredibly dumb. You need to be a little bit more level-headed at this stage.
“Clearly, Bayern was exerting pressure on us. You must not feel embarrassed at that point if you want to play long and escape the press. And it’s evident that after an hour, falling behind is really challenging.
Famous British surgeon James Calder scheduled Neymar’s surgery at the Aspetar facility in Qatar, leaving PSG without him due to his injury.
The Brazilian attacker will probably be out for the remainder of the season after missing up to four months of activity.
Matthijs de Ligt’s Game-Changing Intervention Secures Victory for Bayern
Bayern had Matthijs de Ligt to thank in addition to him producing the crucial goals.
After making a crucial goalline clearing in the first half, the Dutch defender “rescued” his team, according to coach Julian Nagelsmann.
De Ligt scrambled Vitinha’s effort to safety with the tie on the line after catching Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer attempting to dribble outside of his own area.
Although Nagelsmann disapproved of Sommer’s taking chances, he preferred to acknowledge de Ligt’s game-changing intervention.
Because they believed it was already in, “nine out of ten defenders in the world would have left that,” he claimed.
“That play was incredible. De Ligt enjoys playing defence and despises giving up goals. When mistakes sometimes occur, we are fortunate to have a defender who came to our aid.
Sommer, who replaced Bayern captain Manuel Neuer while he was out with an injury in January, quipped that he had a special treat in store for de Ligt.
I’ve mentioned to him once or twice that a block of Swiss chocolate will be waiting for him at his door as a reward for his efforts, he added.
