Mbappé: a giant is in the semis

Much remains to be enjoyed by Neymar, Mbappé and company in this Champions League. PSG fell in a superlative game, of the time. But the result was worth it. Mbappé is again among the four best of the maximum continental competition and he is not lacking in merit. In addition to his two goals in the first leg, the Frenchman was brilliant again in the second leg. Did not dial, but his boots created the vast majority of opportunities that Ney missed, bright yet erratic. He did transform the '7' a heads-up that was annulled by a few centimeters of offside. A punctual upset that brought no consequences. Pochettino has produced the best version of the one intended by Real Madrid, which will seek to raise its first Orejona. Little more is missing from a 22-year-old boy who has already done everything in football. And what is to come.

Again Pochettino lined him up as a center forward, although Mbappé does not need to be placed in a specific position. Like all the greats, he is a free soul, who travels from left to right, from right to left. Within two minutes, he fell to the right side. Neymar leaked it, in the first detail of his later exhibition. The Frenchman lacked company, he had hardly any angle, there was no offensive reference and his shot went through the small area. PSG knew they had to play that: recover, run, exploit spaces and take advantage of the free will of the former Monaco.

Despite making him the figure of '9', Neymar's depth caused Kylian to fall further to the left and it was the Brazilian who entered the shot from behind. Mbappé danced down the left to Pavard and He gave a goal ball to Ney. His faithful companion gave a recital, but he was not successful in the face of the door. This time, he couldn't score. The fall of the '7' to the left was not accidental. Soon after, it raged there again. Bayern, aware of his potential, made double marks on him. More freedom for your companions in attack. Di María was wrong this time.

One of the main differences between Neymar and Mbappé was the field covered. Pochettino was aware that he needed a clean ball out. The long ball would end up frustrating and would lock them in the area. For this reason, the Brazilian did come down almost to the front of Keylor to collaborate in defense and to play the transitions calmly. Conversely, the Frenchman was moving away from the bombardment of the Germans and hoped that the recovery would bring him an opportunity. And, of course, PSG had them to give and take.

See if they know each other Mbappé and Neymar who sometimes don't even need to look at each other. Di María reimagined the space and gave the ball to '7'. The two against one with him were already habitual. And more than usual, necessary. Of course, that causes others to arrive more liberated. And there is the connection. The Frenchman did not look at the area, but he knew that his partner would arrive in the second line. There he put the ball and Neuer providentially saved what would have been the first of the night.

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Infographic via SofaScore.

A penalty goal

If in the Champions you forgive … Bayern began to show symptoms of despair. Boateng had to run hard over Mbappé to stop him. On the left, the Frenchman was unstoppable. And so there is the left. In another counterattack, nature of the Parisians, the '7' put another stellar ball to Neymar. This time it was the stick that avoided the greater evil for those of Flick. That's how capricious football is. PSG deserved to go ahead and Choupo-Moting was the one who overtook the champion. A first half that left weaknesses of the one who was winning and frustration of the fallen. Pochettino was still in the semifinals, but he already saw his position threatened.

Precisely that favorable result of PSG, forced Bayern to go up. With the same script, the venues were transitions and individual genius of the skull trio: Neymar, Di María and Mbappé. Thus came one of his clearest occasions. He drives the '10', the '7' gives Di María a perfect ball, which he cuts and puts it for Ney to push it. It did not arrive by millimeters. It was time to suffer …

The wild card of Mbappé

The stopwatch tightened and Bayern have already settled in the Keylor area. An obvious risk from sharks. Mbappé marked the first of the night for his own, although the repetition reflected that there was offside by centimeters. It was the sentence, but it would be time to wait. Just a minute later, the Germans were somewhat better withdrawn and Lucas Hernández was in charge of solving another career for the French star. The defense would suffer behind … However, the overturned Bayern was a wild card for Mbappé.

Finally, the sought after both of Flick's pupils did not arrive. A defeat that perhaps was not deserved for PSG, but that is unimportant. They were in the semifinals. Mbappé, if you had doubts about the magnitude of the project, they will have been cleared. He already made the semis with Monaco, went through a double disappointment in the second round in his new team and through one of the biggest disappointments of his career precisely against Bayern in the final last year. The mega project is once again among the four best on the continent. Will the '7' say goodbye to Paris with the Orejona? Will he continue if he is champion? How would another disappointment affect him? Questions that will soon find answers. At the moment, Kylian and Ney are going for another very final.