PSG Left Looking To Kylian Mbappe To Keep Champions League Hopes Alive

In spite of losing to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain has cause to think that they can still avoid another early departure from Europe's premier club championship thanks to Kylian Mbappe's cameo after returning from injury. Mbappe did not appear to be a player who had returned much sooner than anticipated from a thigh injury, as his lightning-quick pace alarmed the Bayern defence when he entered the game in the last 30 minutes. Although Bayern exited the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 victory, the France superstar was denied an equaliser only by a heroic Yann Sommer stop and a questionable offside ruling. "Only 1-0 did we lose there."Looking ahead to the second leg in Germany on March 8, Mbappe remarked, "We just lost 1-0, there are no more away goals, and if we play our aggressive game, give them difficulties, and score once, we'll be level." "We are not at anyway defeated." "There is yet a chance," However, despite having Lionel Messi and Neymar in their assault as well, Tuesday's encounter just served to emphasise how much PSG depends on Mbappe.Before Mbappe came off the bench, the away team had already taken the lead thanks to Kingsley Coman, and Messi and Neymar failed to have any significant impact on the game in the opening 57 minutes. The Argentine may have recently led his nation to World Cup victory, and Neymar may still be the most expensive footballer in the world, but there was a reason PSG was so anxious to hold onto Mbappe last year when it appeared he might go with Real Madrid. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said that Mbappe's introduction "absolutely boosted the mood in the stadium, and it also gave the other players a lift." "Kylian Mbappe can affect any game, that much is apparent." Seven goals were scored by the 24-year-old in six games.has three weeks to come back to full strength and try to lead PSG into the quarterfinals after suffering an injury during the group round. Failure is practically inconceivable for a team that has missed the round of 16 in four of the previous six seasons and has never won the Champions League despite the investments of its Qatari owners over the past 12 years.

Emir of Qatar watches on

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, was there at the Parc des Princes to witness PSG suffer their third straight loss, which was the first time since 2011 immediately following the Gulf state's acquisition of the club. His appearance coincided with growing rumours that investors from Qatar are trying to acquire Manchester United. It is unclear if such a move would have any effect on PSG, but the French champions must perform well in Munich next month to prevent the perception that the Qatari enterprise is genuinely faltering. Even if they have recently struggled, they are still five points ahead of Marseille at the top of Ligue 1, yet domestic success alone is insufficient. The fact that Messi, Neymar, and pivotal midfielder Marco Verratti had ratings of three out of ten from the sports publication L'Equipe must have caught the emir's attention.Another issue Messi and Neymar cause is the necessity for their teammates to cover for their lack of running and tracking back. Bayern finished the game with one fewer player than PSG when Benjamin Pavard was dismissed, but according to UEFA, the Bundesliga leaders still ran over eight kilometres more than PSG. Although we have clearly recognised the issue, Paris coach Christophe Galtier said that we are powerless to alter the nature of the players. We have guys that enjoy having the ball at their feet so they can make things. We need guys who can make runs once they have the ball because that's what Ney and Leo prefer. Mbappe is precisely that player, and the outcome of the second leg may alter greatly.whether he is able to participate right away.