Mauricio Pochettino lavishes praise on PSG’s goal hero Kylian Mbappe after the striker’s last-gasp effort helped them beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, as he says ‘he’s a great talent’ and hails him as ‘amazing’
Mauricio Pochettino lavished praise on PSG hero Kylian Mbappe after his last-gasp goal secured his side a Champions League last-16 first-leg win over Real Madrid.
The Ligue 1 side dominated the heavyweight clash at the Parc des Princes but looked set to end the evening on a limp note after failing to find the back of the net.
However, Mbappe broke the deadlock in style inside stoppage time, having weaved his way through the defence to beat Thibaut Courtois and spark wild celebrations.
Mauricio Pochettino praised ‘amazing’ Kylian Mbappe after his goal saw PSG beat Real Madrid
PSG boss Pochettino said he cannot stop waxing lyrical about the young scoring sensation
And unsurprisingly, his manager Pochettino waxed lyrical about his striker’s showing.
‘Mbappe’s amazing. He’s a great talent,’ he told CBS Sports.
‘I’m always talking in the same way. I cannot find more words. He’s amazing.’
Mbappe slotted the ball through Thibaut Courtois’ legs to spark celebrations in the ground
All eyes were on the mercurial frontman because of his links to Madrid, who he is widely expected to join on a free transfer when his PSG contract runs down.
Mbappe picked up the ball on the left following Neymar’s silky back heel, and managed to smuggle the ball through Courtois’ legs to settle the showdown.
Pochettino believes that the result may prove significant for the return leg in Spain, and has now also challenged his players to deliver similar performances.
‘It’s a narrow win perhaps but it gives us hope for the game in Madrid,’ Pochettino said.
Mbappe picked up a silky back heel from Neymar (left) before applying the finishing touch
‘I’m happy with the performance and I hope we can continue to give this kind of performance in future.’
He also found the time to further laud Mbappe, labelling him ‘one of the best players in the world.’
Beaten boss Carlo Ancelotti classily tipped his hat to the frontman, meanwhile, after saying post-match: ‘Mbappe is the best player in European football.
‘Mbappe is unstoppable, we have tried to control him. [Eder] Militao has done very well, but he is a player who always invents something.’
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