Football

‘I was a bit concerned’ – Mbappe reveals he wasn’t supposed to play against Bayern

February 15, 2023 11:00 am
‘I was a bit concerned’ – Mbappe reveals he wasn’t supposed to play against Bayern

Kylian Mbappe has revealed he was not supposed to play in PSG’s Champions League round of 16 first-leg match against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. But the France icon wanted to play and help his teammates, who ultimately fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss to the German side.

The home defeat leaves PSG with a mountain to climb in the second leg, with former player Kingsley Coman once again coming back to haunt his old side, scoring the only goal of the game on Tuesday.  The winger also netted the only goal of the game as Bayern beat PSG to lift the trophy in 2020.

Mbappe wasn’t supposed to play against Bayern

Mbappe had initially been ruled out of the highly-anticipated clash after picking up a hamstring injury against Montpellier at the beginning of the month. But PSG boss Christian Galtier named the star attacker among his substitutes, with Neymar and Lionel Messi handed starting roles.

The star duo were, however, ineffective against a stern Bayern defence. Mbappe was then introduced in the 57th minute, finding the back of the net eight minutes from time, however his strike was quickly ruled out by VAR due to an offside in the build-up. But the star forward has now revealed that he was not supposed to play any part in Tuesday’s match due to his injury.

“I wasn’t supposed to play but I wanted to play and help my teammates,” said Mbappe, as reported by LiveScore. “We did everything, we worked night and day to get me some game time.

“I wanted to [start the game]. But sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you can do, and that’s all I could do. My feeling? I was a bit concerned, but I gave everything I had and I have nothing left. Now we have to continue and recover well.”

PSG face uphill battle in Germany

PSG have now lost three matches in a row, falling to defeats against Marseille in the French Cup, Monaco in Ligue 1 and now Bayern in the Champions League.

They remain top of the table in France, but face tough tests against fifth-placed Lille and second-placed Marseille in their next two matches. Galtier’s men also have a league meeting with mid-table Nantes before making the second-leg trip to Germany in early March.

Mbappe

Mbappe confident in turning things around

PSG went unbeaten in their Champions League group earlier this season, but were forced to settle for second place behind Benfica, despite the two clubs finishing with an identical record.

The Portuguese outfit clinched top spot, however, thanks to their nine away goals, with PSG managing six. It resulted in the Parisians drawing German giants Bayern in the round of 16, but star man Mbappe is confident that the tie is far from away.

“As we said, we said we had to take the positives,” added Mbappe. “It’s a two-legged tie. We can’t change what happened in the first leg.

“We will go there to qualify. We know that there is a possibility. There is always a good possibility to qualify. So we will go there with a lot of energy and determination.”

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