Mbappe delivers for PSG as Neymar is sent off
Kylian Mbappe scored an injury-time penalty to seal a 2-1 win for Paris Saint-Germain over Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Wednesday before admitting he will never recover from the FIFA World Cup final defeat France against Argentina.
Mbappe was back in action 10 days after scoring a hat-trick in the final but then watching the South Americans win in a penalty shootout.
PSG had Neymar sent off for two yellow cards as the Brazilian made an unfortunate return to action after his country were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Captain Marquinhos had put the hosts ahead with an early header but the Brazil defender scored an own goal after 51 minutes as some of the PSG stars appeared to be suffering from a post-Qatar hangover.
Neymar picked up a yellow for a petulant shot off a Strasbourg player then earned another for a blatant dive into the penalty area just after the hour mark.
Mbappe had been a constant threat for PSG but couldn’t find the target with two clear chances.
But deep in second-half added time, he was knocked down in the penalty area and converted the winner in the 96th minute.
After the match, Mbappe said of the World Cup loss: “I don’t think I’ll ever recover from it.
“As I told my teammates, there is no reason for the club to pay the price for the failure of the national team, they are two very different situations,” he added.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi was absent from the PSG line-up following his World Cup exploits.
The win puts PSG eight points ahead of Lens, who need to beat Nice on Thursday to keep pace.
PSG have also announced that their 30-year-old Italian midfielder Marco Verratti has extended his stay at the club until 2026.
In other games, Lille beat Clermont 2-0-10 thanks to an Angel Gomes penalty and a late setter from Mohamed Bayo in extra time.
Lyon beat Brest 4-2 away as they pushed for the European places.
Memories of Thierry Henry
France may have had a glimpse of the future earlier on Wednesday when 17-year-old Monaco striker Eliesse Ben Seghir secured all three points in a 3-2 win over Auxerre on his Ligue 1 debut.
Thierry Henry was two months younger when he scored his first brace for Monaco against Lens aged 17 and 8 months in 1995, but the brilliance of Ben Seghir’s brace brought back memories of the Arsenal star and the France.
Ben Seghir, who won’t turn 18 until February, came on as a second-half substitute for Wissam Ben Yedder, who scored from the spot just before half-time but was substituted anyway.
The newcomer unleashed his first goal within 12 minutes with an unstoppable shot to put Monaco 2-1 up.
He then delivered a solo effort to relish, delivering a curling winner from outside the box to make it 3-2.
After the final whistle, the Monegasque players serenaded Ben Seghir to the visiting supporters in an evening that will live long in the teenager’s memory.
This victory lifts Monaco to fifth place with 30 points.
Ben Seghir grew up in Saint Tropez but is of Moroccan descent and has yet to decide who he will represent internationally despite having turned for France Under-18s.
RELATED STORIES
Kylian Mbappe insists he ‘never asked to leave’ PSG
Messi and Neymar mocked as PSG fans rage over European exit
Read more
Disclaimer: Comments uploaded to this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem inconsistent with our editorial standards.