MY ACCOUNT
Kylian Mbappe was described as “an alien” and the best in the world by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Danilo Pereira after firing Paris Saint-Germain to a win over Real Madrid.
The France star struck the winner with practically the final kick of the game as PSG claimed a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were the more adventurous overall as Madrid ended the match without a shot on target, their expected goals tally of just 0.14 well below PSG’s 1.87.
Mbappe was the most enterprising player throughout against the team he has been tipped to join at the end of the season, but Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept his side at bay, saving a Lionel Messi penalty midway through the second half.
Yet in the 94th minute, Mbappe collected Neymar’s backheel, worked space in the box and slotted a finish past Courtois, taking his tally to 52 direct goal involvements in 52 Champions League appearances.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, PSG goalkeeper Donnarumma, who was largely a spectator throughout the contest, said of Mbappe: “He’s spectacular, on and off the pitch. He’s an alien. He settled things today.
“He’ll take care of [his future]. They’re matters for him and he’ll decide. In everyday life, from the warm-up to the games, you can see he’s an incredible player.”
Donnarumma said he praised opposite number Courtois for his performance as he described the victory as hugely important.
“I complimented Courtois. There’s respect there. We often talk, and I complimented him,” said the Italy international.
“It’s a very important victory. We made a great start, we needed to score first, but the ball didn’t go in.
“There’s a return leg now, and we’ll have to do even better. We go there to win – nothing changes for us. We’ll have to play a great match. If we do, we’ll go through.”
For Danilo, Mbappe is simply the best player in the world at the moment, one who offers something different to his rivals.
“Mbappe isn’t a player like others. He showed that with his goal. For me, right now, he’s the best,” he said to RMC Sport.
“I’m happy. We won, and we played a huge game against a great side. It’s always good to win at home.”
