Champions League: Mbappé can’t catch break as PSG loses third straight

The 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season resumed for the primary time in three months Tuesday.

It was definitely worth the wait.

In a pair of marquee, first-leg, spherical of 16 video games, German champ Bayern Munich upset star-studded Paris Saint-Germain — which began the match with out Kylian Mbappé, who simply returned from damage — 1-0 within the French capital, whereas Italy’s AC Milan beat English customer Tottenham Hotspur by the identical rating.

Here are three fast ideas on Tuesday’s video games:

Mbappé, Messi can’t halt PSG’s tailspin

Led not simply by world superstars Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar, however a squad of different all-planet skills behind them, the Parisian’s roster is the envy of the soccer world. Yet PSG has been lower than the sum of its components this marketing campaign, and particularly because the World Cup break between mid-November and the top of final yr.

So it was once more towards Bayern on Tuesday. As he did when these groups met within the Champions League last in 2020, Paris native Kingsley Coman scored the winner within the second half, this day off a cross from Alphonso Davies.

It was PSG’s third straight defeat; they entered Tuesday’s contest having dropped consecutive matches in Ligue 1. Messi nonetheless isn’t again in prime kind a month after his well-deserved break following Argentina’s World Cup triumph, and he sat out Saturday’s loss to Monaco with a sore knee. And Mbappé, whose French aspect the Albiceleste beat within the last in Qatar, hadn’t performed since struggling a hamstring damage on Feb. 1.  

Messi was principally ineffective towards Bayern whereas Mbappé returned however entered off the bench early within the second half. And whereas he didn’t take a look at all hobbled, Mbappé nonetheless wasn’t capable of claw again an equalizer for the hosts on the Parc des Princes. Mbappé’s greatest scoring alternative got here when he broke in alone on keeper Yann Sommer within the 72nd minute, however a heavy contact enabled Sommer to race off his line to snuff out the possibility.

Mbappé appeared to have put a dramatic equalizer previous Sommer from the doorstep moments later, however upon evaluation the video assistant referee appropriately decided that the ahead was simply barely offside:

The reality is that PSG didn’t deserve even a draw on this one. The loss places them getting ready to elimination. For a membership that covets European glory above all else, the efficiency didn’t encourage a lot confidence that this yr will finish fortunately.

AC Milan’s win places stress on Tottenham 

Seven-time European champ AC Milan hasn’t superior so far as the quarterfinals of the Champions League since 2012, however they took an enormous step towards the final eight with Tuesday’s victory on the San Siro.

Brahim Díaz gave the hosts an early lead following a blistering shot by Theo Hernández that was nicely saved by Fraser Forster, however Forster may solely watch as Díaz transformed his personal rebound off the crossbar:

Meantime, Harry Kane & Co. solely mustered three photographs heading in the right direction. Now Antonio Conte’s group should win the rematch in London two weeks from now, both by a number of targets over the opening 90 minutes, or eke by in further time or penalties. If not, Tottenham — which didn’t qualify for the competitors the final two years and is in peril of lacking out subsequent yr, too — will likely be eradicated within the spherical of 16 for the second time since reaching the ultimate in 2019.

Drama awaits in decisive matches 

Perhaps the largest takeaway from Tuesday’s slate is that each contests had been determined by a single aim. As a lot as Bayern dominated in Paris — that they had twice as many photographs as the house aspect’s 9 (together with a 7-4 benefit on-frame) plus 54% of possession — they couldn’t discover the backbreaking second aim.

With its three-headed attacking monster of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé up prime, PSG might be the final group on the earth you wish to depart hanging round. All three stars can win a sport on their very own. Mbappé was oh-so-close to leveling this one; two weeks from now he’ll be that a lot fitter. He’s decided so as to add a Champions League title to the World Cup crown he gained with Les Bleus in 2018 and endlessly cement his legacy together with his hometown group, which has by no means captured Europe’s largest prize.

Don’t assume Mbappé has forgotten that it was Bayern that beat PSG within the 2020 last. With the slimmest potential lead, the Germans have the sting heading into the second leg, particularly at house. But even for a PSG group off to a rocky 2023, it’s hardly an insurmountable drawback.

The identical goes for Spurs. While resurgent Milan deserved its win, closing the deal on the highway gained’t be simple. As good because the Rossoneri was at limiting Kane on Tuesday, the English ahead doesn’t want many probabilities to attain. Surely he’ll get a couple of extra seems in entrance of his house crowd. If Conte’s star man can degree the combination early, Spurs would possibly simply have sufficient momentum to finish the comeback.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

Read extra:

---

---

---