Champions League: PSG’s Kylian Mbappe Scores Hat Trick During Dominant Performance

Paris Saint-Germain FC entered Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League matchup against Barcelona looking to secure the win after three previous tournament losses to the Lionel Messi-led team. Injuries to Neymar and Angel Di Maria left the team shorthanded, but Kylian Mbappe put the squad on his back and led them to victory during the Champions League round of 16. He scored a hat trick during a dominant performance.

Barcelona took the lead early in the match after a PSG penalty. Messi took the shot and put his team up 1-0. However, this advantage lasted a mere five minutes. Marco Verratti passed the ball to Mbappe, who created some space with a nifty move. He then launched the ball into the net to tie the game and set the stage for a jaw-dropping performance.

The second goal took place when Alessandro Florenzi got free down the field. He tracked down a ball from Leandro Paredes and then passed it across the face of the net toward a teammate. Gerard Pique half-blocked the pass, but Mbappe ran up and shot it into the net for a second goal.

Moise Kean was left alone on a free-kick, and he scored the team’s third goal. Mbappe capped off the match with his third goal, which he scored with roughly five minutes remaining. With this play, Mbappe became the first opposing player to achieve a Champions League hat trick at Camp Nou in over 23 years.

When head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced that Di Maria would miss Tuesday’s match, he said that the other players on the team would be ready for the important matchup. “His absence isn’t a reason to change our ideas,” Pochettino explained. “We’ll find the best available solutions. Angel has played a lot and he’s an important player for us. But there are other players who can play and enable us to win matches.”

Pochettino continued and said that the injuries are significant but that he was excited about the match at Camp Nou. His goals did not change due to the injuries among key players. “You can see the excitement throughout the club; for PSG, it is an obvious goal to win the Champions League and we understand the responsibility,” Pochettino said, per France 24. “It is clear that absences like those of Neymar or Di María are significant, but we have a group of players who are eager to play this game and I am sure that whoever plays tomorrow will fulfill their role.”