Wake-up call: Mbappé, PSG storm ahead in UCL

Leboeuf: Mbappe has demonstrated that PSG requires him to make progress in the Champions League.

Frank Leboeuf breaks down how crucial Kylian Mbappe is for Paris Saint-Germain's chances of winning the Champions League. (1:07)

It is March 6, 2024, and the time is 1:15 AM.

Kylian Mbappé could be departing from Paris, but as long as he's a part of the starting squad for Paris Saint-Germain, they are still a team to be reckoned with.

On Tuesday, the champion of the World Cup demonstrated his exceptional skills by scoring two amazing goals. This helped PSG secure a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad and make it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in three years.

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After the match, Mbappé explained that they quickly realized they couldn't rest. He said that if their opponents had scored first, they would have gained momentum with the support of their fans. Therefore, they had to crush their opponents' hopes early in the game.

That is precisely what we accomplished, and we are overjoyed to have made it to the quarterfinals once again.

PSG has progressed with a 4-1 overall score, with Mbappé getting a goal in the initial 2-0 win in Paris three weeks prior. According to reports from ESPN, Mbappé has already informed PSG that he will not continue with the team after this year and is most likely to move to Real Madrid.

PSG has invested a lot of money in their pursuit of winning the Champions League, but unfortunately, they have failed to make it past the last 16 stage in five out of the last seven seasons, which includes the past two. However, they managed to reach the semifinals in 2021 and finished as the runners-up in 2020.

Mbappé stated that their goal was not only to qualify but also to secure a win. Their team had a precise game strategy, which they executed successfully by scoring early on. Despite facing some pressure towards the end, they managed to remain composed.

Even though Mbappé performed impressively against Sociedad, he didn't score in his previous two matches against Rennes and AS Monaco, which resulted in draws, and was replaced in both encounters. This action taken by Luis Enrique reportedly upset Mbappé, who is considered one of his top players, according to sources from ESPN.

However, Mbappé continued to play until the end of the match on Tuesday. He also emphasized that there were no conflicts between him and the coach of PSG after the game.

According to Mbappé, there is no issue with the coach, even though some people may believe that there is one. While he admits to having some problems of his own, the coach is not one of them.

Luis Enrique expressed his thoughts in a brief manner, stating that he has no issues with any of his players.

The coach of PSG also mentioned that this player is capable of scoring 50 goals and providing 25 assists regardless of who the coach is. According to him, the player is the most exceptional in the world when it comes to the final part of the pitch, and he simply cannot be stopped. Furthermore, the player demonstrated his capability to control the ball and attack when there was an opportunity during their game today.

Mbappé scored two goals against Sociedad, which made him the second-youngest player to reach 45 goals in the Champions League during the group stage and knockout games. He achieved this at the age of 25 years and 76 days, while Lionel Messi accomplished the same feat at 24 years and 257 days. Mbappé's goals now total 46 in the competition.

This story contains data sourced from The Associated Press.