CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe said yesterday that he felt no pressure in facing one of the world’s best keepers in Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer on Wednesday and hoped to add to his tally after beating the German twice in their 3-2 Champions League win.
Mbappe scored an early opener for PSG and Marquinhos put them 2-0 up in the 28th minute before hosts Bayern hit back through Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Mueller.
The 22-year-old Mbappe then scored again, drilling in from a tight angle and with two defenders in front of him to put PSG back in front and hand Bayern their first Champions League defeat in more than two years.
Mbappe said he relished the chance to test himself against Neuer.
“I love to play against the best player in the world and Manuel Neuer is one of the best keepers in the history of the game,” Mbappe told BT Sport.
“I don’t have any pressure.”
PSG had lost to Bayern 1-0 in the Champions League final last season but are now one step closer to knocking out the title holders ahead of the second leg at home on April 13.
“We played in the final against him (Neuer) and didn’t score but now I scored two goals,” added Mbappe.
“I will play one (more) time against him so I hope to score again.”
However, Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick, after reviewing his team’s play
was happy with the way his wards prosecuted the game.
It was holders Bayern’s first loss in the Champions League for over two years and their first home defeat in all competitions since November, 2019.
“Obviously, our opponents scored three goals from their few chances and we scored too few but the way we played was impressive,” Flick told reporters. “We could have gotten a good result but we were not efficient enough.
“I do not like to lose but I am satisfied with how we played. The team fought on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. Unfortunately, we were not as decisive in front of goal as we normally are,” Flick stressed.
