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Paris: In light of the brilliance of the French striker Kylian Mbappe and the disappointment of Argentine Lionel Messi and the convincing of the Brazilian Neymar who is recovering, Paris Saint-Germain still has to find the charming combination of the “MNM” trio in its quest to win the European Football Champions League title.
The Paris club’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the final price on Tuesday, with its glowing Italian midfielder Marco Verratti, gave Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino’s men calm and comfort to prepare for the return match on March 9th.
Mbappe and a legendary match
The fever of Mbappe’s killer goal swept social networking sites, while international newspapers agreed on the superiority of this striker, and the Spanish newspaper Marca titled “How good Mbappe is!”.
The 2018 World Cup champion scored, following a single effort, the winning goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time for the second half, rewarding the team’s impressive team performance: he surpassed three defenders by one step, before deceiving Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on a magical evening.
In the same context, the newspaper L’Equipe wrote “a decisive glimpse that will nourish his legend.”
“I’m always focused, it’s the job of all the attackers. We want to change the situation as long as the referee doesn’t blow the whistle at the end of the match,” said the person concerned.
Saint-Germain can look at a distant horizon under the aura of “Kiki”, following he scored 5 goals and assisted 4 decisive balls in the main continental competition this season. At the age of 23, Mbappe gained a global reputation and quickly matured to be ready to shine on the big European dates.
No player in Real might match Mbappe, while the fans of the Spanish capital club, who were present in the “Parc de Prince” stadium, chanted his name repeatedly before the match started… How not? She is the one who dreams of seeing him in the Royal Club shirt next summer with the end of his contract with the current club in June.
Mbappe explained what he’s going through, saying, “I was aware that everyone was waiting for me, and I became this type of player who is always waiting for everyone. I wanted to focus on playing football.”
Messi, the legend in search of himself
But contrary to most opinions, for coach Pochettino the best player in the world is the little “flea” Messi, without any controversy regarding it.
However, the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner rarely provides reasons and evidence to believe what his compatriot says since he joined Saint-Germain last August from Barcelona. After he glowed in the victory over the defending champion Lille 5 1 in the French League 10 days before the European due, the Argentine returned to standing in the shadows once morest Real.
A penalty kick was missed in the 62nd minute by goalkeeper Courtois, which might cost his team dearly, especially with the adoption of the law to abolish the advantage of away goals. While the 34-year-old scored 125 goals in the Champions League, he passed 75 balls, making him the third most moving Parisian player, but without gaining the decisive status.
Pochettino defended his compatriot, saying, “Messi played a big game for me, he missed a penalty but that’s football. The team played well because Leo linked all the elements.”
Messi’s match once morest Real reflects a picture of his confusion in the first six months in the French capital, between injuries, the Corona virus, and the misfortune that haunts him, as he hit the post 7 times in “Ligue 1” this season.
Some ask the eternal question: will Messi be able to adapt to Parisian life and to a team, unlike Barcelona, that he does not always play for? The Argentine has 3 weeks to answer this question and restore its effectiveness.
Neymar to complete the legendary “MMNM”
On the other hand, Neymar’s expected attendance at the “Santiago Bernabeu” in the second leg of the final round will be an additional paper and impetus to help Messi.
The Brazilian returned to the stadiums on Tuesday following an absence of more than two months due to a sprain in his left ankle, and he spent 20 minutes inside the green rectangle, headed by dangerous moves, transgressions and an opportunity that he did not translate successfully, and a pass with his heel led to Mbappe’s goal.
With the number 10 shirt and his yellow dyed hair, Saint-Germain returned to the charming trio “MNM” who did not get a chance to show his full potential due to the frequent absence of one of his stars.
Saint-Germain is waiting for 3 domestic matches ( once morest Nantes, Saint-Etienne and Nice) to find consistency and magic before the return leg in Madrid.
“We didn’t play much with each other, but with this type of player, we don’t need a lot of time,” Mbappe said, adding regarding Neymar’s return, “Nye added a different breath when he entered. We will try to secure him the best conditions.”
