The stage was set at Parc Des Princes for a super showdown between European heavyweights, PSG and Real Madrid, and it took a moment of magic from one of the greatest young players in the game to separate the sides. This is the latest instalment in our ‘Framed’ series, giving you an entirely new perspective on matches from around the globe.
PSG v Real Madrid. The standout fixture of the round of 16 in what is the grandest club competition in the world. Champions League nights, under the lights – there’s nothing quite like them. For this one there was the added spice of Messi facing his old Nemesis for the first time since leaving Barcelona; Mbappé playing against what could be his new club come the summer; and Neymar making his long-awaited return from injury. On paper, this match was one to get excited about. Expectations were high, and there was a real buzz about the Parc Des Princes ahead of kick off.
The script writers had a lot of options for how this one would play out, and they opted not for the old hat of Messi to come up trumps, but instead the young blood of Mbappé. In fact, the little Argentinian would’ve been breathing a sigh of relief when the Frenchman slalomed his way through the Madrid defence, cutting like a hot knife through butter before cooly slotting home to dramatically win the match in stoppage time, because he had earlier fluffed his lines after his tame effort from the spot was saved by Thibaut Courtois.
PSG huffed and puffed throughout, with a lot of intricate passing never quite getting through the stubborn Madrid defence for the majority of the match. The wily experience of Kroos, Modric and Casemiro broke up play time after time, and Madrid appeared content to take the 0-0 back to the Bernabeu for the second leg. But that man Mbappé was having none of it. A moment worthy of winning any match. Roll on part two.
Photography by Jeremie Masuka for SoccerBible.
