From Qatar to the Parc des Princes, it continues to stir up crowds, thrill football fans and write its history. To show that his mind has nothing in common, that he is a champion who defies the laws of time and everything you want. Ten days ago, Kylian Mbappé left the Lusail Stadium with his head bowed, his face marked by the defeat on penalties against Argentina, despite a personal hat-trick. He found his favorite enclosure this Wednesday with a broad smile and a boss’s aggressiveness which showed that with him, PSG is capable of reversing the most complicated situations.
“The child of Bondy who never ceases to amaze and thrill”, as the ultras sang, tried, crashed and continued to use his power of acceleration for 90 minutes. He really did not give the feeling of still having the lead at the World Cup, the scene of the final lost against Argentina, by going to score his 44th goal of the year and giving victory to his team in the end of additional time on a penalty that he went to get alone, like the boss he is. A stunning epilogue to the last night of 2022.
In a Park swept by squalls and pounding rain, the Parisian weather had come to remind us that Qatar, the World Cup and its summer temperatures were ancient history. The reality of Ligue 1 has long resurfaced and acted as a good wake-up call to PSG Globalists after a six-week hiatus. Christophe Galtier had warned that his team was starting from scratch after this truce like no other and the reception of Strasbourg, this Wednesday evening, confirmed that it is a new championship which has started after 16 days.
Brazilians in trouble
Despite the presence of Marquinhos and Neymar at kick-off, Paris struggled to get rid of a team planted in the bottom of the rankings (19th) and which had won only one meeting since August. The desire of the Globalists to move on by finding their way to the Park after the disappointment of Qatar was there, but the evening match showed that the heads of the Brazilians are not completely healed.
They had however started very strongly with the opening of the score of Marquinhos on an offering of Neymar. The centre-back and the playmaker finally got their team into trouble in the space of ten minutes. The first cheated Donnarumma on a deflected strike which was strangely reminiscent of the same mistake made twenty days ago in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, resulting in the elimination of Brazil against Croatia. The playmaker meanwhile showed that at 30, he continues to make the same mistakes as a prospect by scooping a largely avoidable red. Slag that spoiled his first 45 minutes, however promising. Sunday, he will be suspended for the shock against Lens, dolphin of the PSG. A poster cut for a certain … Kylian Mbappé. The desire to start 2023 as strong as he finished 2022 is certainly already in his head.