Mbappe fired home from Lionel Messi assist in the third minute of added time, having earlier seen a deflected effort struck the woodwork and been denied by the tightest of offside calls.
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Kylian Mbappe scored the stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Rennes 1-0 in the Ligue 1 fixture at Parc des Prices on Friday. The victory helped PSG to go 16 points clear at the top of the league standings. Mbappe fired home from Lionel Messi assist in the third minute of added time, having earlier seen a deflected effort struck the woodwork and been denied by the tightest of offside calls. Meanwhile PSG’s performance has been far from convincing and they will certainly need to up their game heading into the champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid next Tuesday.
FULL-TIME: @PSG_English 1-0 Rennes @KMbappe‘s with a 90+3 winner!
? ????? ????? ? #Ligue1 | #PSGSRFC pic.twitter.com/IYCYRZXej7
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) February 11, 2022
Rennes were on the verge of becoming only the second team to take a point off PSG at Parc des Princes this season but were caught as it pushed forward and were punished by a quick counter attack. Messi setup Mbappe, who opened up his body to slot home past Rennes goalkeeper Dogan Alamdar and into the net.
With Neymar sidelined with injury, and both Angel di Maria and Mauro Icardi on the bench, at kick-off, 18-year-old Xavi Simons started alongside Messi and Mbappe in the PSG attack. Mbappe saw a deflected strike back off the post five minute before the break, with Simons unable to convert the follow up. Messi then played in Mbappe just after the hour mark and this time the Frenchman found the net only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. VAR images revealed he had gone a fraction ahead of the last defender.
Meanwhile Messi’s influence was once again limited, at least until he laid on the winner. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to look a shadow of his former self in Paris but Pochettino would be hoping that the meeting with Real Madrid will bring the best out in him.
The evening was most notable for the decision by the ‘ultra’ groups who provide the most vocal support at Parc des Princes to not take their seat until half an hour into the game. When they emerged they displayed a series of content with the management of the club, in particular the sporting director Leonardo.
“The supporters have the democratic right to express themselves but we need to all be together going into an important period of the season,” PSG head coach Pochettino said.
“There are things we are still trying to correct and we need to be self-critical if this club is to be one of the best in the world.”
