There’s a new king in town. Or at least that’s what it felt like watching Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain tear Barcelona to shreds at Camp Nou on Tuesday evening in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. The Parisians won the game 4-1, with Mbappe embodying their pace, power and ingenuity.
Barcelona, off the pace in La Liga and handed a tough Champions League draw after finishing second in their group, went into the game in lower morale than usual, albeit having turned a corner in terms of their league form. They took the lead inside the opening half-hour, Lionel Messi converting a penalty kick after Frenkie de Jong was fouled inside the box.
PSG equalised shortly after. It was Mbappe who struck, taking the ball from Marco Verratti, creating space in the box and then finishing lethally. The French marksman doubled his tally shortly after the hour mark, seizing on a loose ball, before completing a historic hat-trick in the final ten-minutes, finishing off a deadly counter-attack with a sublime effort. Moise Kean, on loan from Everton, scored PSG’s third goal.
A heated moment of dialogue between Gerard Pique and Antoine Griezmann was captured by the cameras when the score between the two sides was level. Pique shouted at Griezmann to hold on to possession for longer, and the Frenchman didn’t appreciate the Catalan’s tone, letting him know so in no uncertain terms.
😡 El caliente dialogo en Barcelona 🇪🇸
🗣️ Piqué “Una puta posesión larga, joder”
🗣️ Griezmann "No me grites la c….. de tu madre"
🗣️ Pique "La c…. de tu madre tú, estamos sufriendo"pic.twitter.com/1oxgvEB6Dh
— El Gráfico (@elgraficoweb) February 16, 2021
