Kylian Mbappe ends PSG era in most fitting way – another Champions League failure
Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe leaves the pitch after the Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund. Photo: Reuters
It was too late, but Kylian Mbappe didn’t know that. The final whistle was sufficiently close that there would not have been time for Paris Saint-Germain to score two goals. They didn’t get one: Mbappe, sprinting clear, lost his footing. It was his final contribution to his hometown club in the Champions League and a symbolic moment. PSG slipped up. Again.
Mbappe’s seven seasons in the French capital have brought four last-16 exits, a couple of semi-finals and a lone, lockdown final, when he missed a fine chance as Bayern Munich prevailed in 2020. In his valedictory campaign, PSG went out to a Borussia Dortmund team who are fifth in Germany just as, five years ago, they lost at home to a Manchester United side who were to finish sixth in England. They have lost as favourites, lost when they had a lead, lost in a variety of ways. They have gone out to Real Madrid and Bayern, to both Manchester clubs and now Dortmund. Manchester City’s triumph last season means each of their conquerors have now won the Champions League. PSG haven’t.
