Paris Saint-Germain emerged victorious with a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, thanks to the inevitable heroics of Kylian Mbappe in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 match at the Parc des Princes.
The 25-year-old French international, who is strongly rumored to be joining Real Madrid in the summer, scored the opening goal just before the hour mark with a typical striker’s finish.
Bradley Barcola then secured the victory with a brilliant individual effort 20 minutes before the end, as Luis Enrique’s team displayed a much-improved performance in the second half.
La Real dominated the game right from the start with an aggressive high press that suffocated the hosts and left the home crowd disheartened.
Andre Silva narrowly missed a header, and Mikel Merino hit the crossbar with an impressive strike just before halftime, showing that Imanol Alguacil’s team had the potential to cause an upset.
However, PSG stepped up their game in the second half, and the Basque side seemed to lose their energy, allowing Mbappe and Barcola to give the hosts a significant advantage to take back to Spain.
PSG will next face Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday, while Sociedad will travel to Mallorca in La Liga on Sunday.
The second leg of this Champions League tie will take place on March 5th.
