Kylian Mbappe scored two goals, adding one that literally broke the net, and Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Sociedad 2-1 on Tuesday to secure a 4-1 aggregate win and a berth in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Mbappe scored after a quarter of an hour and then came back in the 56th minute before Mikel Merino scored a comfort goal for the Spanish side.
PSG beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 in France.
But home fans at San Sebastian’s Anoeta stadium were hoping to see their team come back in the second leg before Mbappe’s first game visibly deflated them.
Fans of PSG’s attacking goal in the first half jumped in unison until they stopped abruptly when Mbappe unleashed a good shot that beat goalkeeper Alex Remiro from far away.
Mbappé’s shot hit so hard that the net hit the post. The reaction occurred shortly after the wound healed.
A symbol of the damage done to Real Sociedad’s net by Kylian Mbappe’s tough opener for Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday’s Champions League match in Spain.
TNT Sports 2
Mbappé’s decisive goal was assisted by a pass from Ousmane Dembele.
The PSG captain picked up the pass in the corner of the penalty area, near the penalty line, where he scored hard through defender Igor Zubeldia.
Mbappe then put on some good footwork to beat Zubeldia once or twice before locating the net in style.
After looking offside on his first goal, Mbappé’s second goal of the match depended on his pace.
Mbappe was close to the halfway line, just inches behind Zubeldia, when Lee Kang-in sent a pass into the Real Sociedad defence.
When Mbappé reached the ball, less than 4 seconds later, he was almost 15 meters away from the center-back.
Mbappe’s impressive speed gave him time to think about his shot and he opted to shoot low from Remiro just wide of the post.
Former Monaco star Mbappe has scored 46 goals and provided 26 assists in 69 career appearances in the UCL.
After Tuesday’s match, Mbappe was hailed as greater than Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and perhaps even a perfect Thierry Henry through the former Manchester United duo of Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves.
Mbappe scored twice in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Tuesday.
IMAGO/NurPhoto/José Bretón