Football: ‘That’s our maximum’, admits Mbappe after latest PSG exit

Bayern Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (right) celebrates with Leon Goretzka (centre) and Jamal Musiala after scoring the opening goal. PHOTO: AFP

MUNICH – Kylian Mbappe admitted that Paris Saint-Germain had performed to their “maximum” as they slumped to another early Champions League exit, losing to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

PSG, trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Paris, were beaten 2-0 in the return game at the Allianz Arena to drop out of the last 16 for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who scored against his former club, and substitute Serge Gnabry sealed the win for Bayern.

“As I said at my first Champions League press conference this season, we were going to do our maximum,” PSG star forward Mbappe told reporters.

“That’s our maximum, that’s the truth.

“What were PSG missing? Not much when you look at the two squads. They have a great squad, built to win the Champions League.”

The French champions are still waiting for a maiden Champions League title, despite the vast amount spent in the transfer market by their Qatari owners.

Christophe Galtier’s men, who could not find a way past Bayern despite having 52 per cent possession, ended the tie with two 17-year-olds on the pitch in El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Warren Zaire-Emery as they ran out of ideas.

“We’re going to question ourselves and then return to our daily life, the league,” added Mbappe. “We have to move on...

“We lost against a great team, trying to win the tournament.”

Mbappe, who wore the captain’s armband after Marquinhos went off injured in the 36th minute, signed a bumper new deal with PSG in 2022.

Despite the team sitting eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, the Champions League failure will inevitably bring more questions about whether the France star will stay at the Parc des Princes.

“I’m calm,” he said, when asked about his future. “The only thing that matters to me is this season, to win the league, and then we’ll see.”

Galtier, meanwhile, bemoaned his team’s defending for Bayern’s opener, which came after Marco Verratti was dispossessed in his own box.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t take the chances we had,” he said.

“Then in the second half, we conceded a really stupid goal. At this level, you need to be a bit more clear-headed.

“Obviously, we were under pressure from Bayern. At that point you need to not be ashamed to play long, to break out of the press.

“And obviously after an hour when you go behind, it becomes very difficult.”

PSG were without Neymar, who will be undergoing surgery on his injured ankle by renowned British specialist, James Calder, at the Aspetar hospital in Qatar.

The Brazilian forward is expected to miss up to four months of action, almost certainly ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Serge Gnabry (right) scores the second goal for Bayern Munich. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Besides their attackers coming up with the vital goals, Bayern also had defender Matthijs de Ligt to thank.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann said the Dutch defender “rescued” his side after making a vital goal-line clearance in the first half.

With the tie in the balance, de Ligt scrambled Vitinha’s shot to safety after Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer was caught trying to dribble out of his own area.

Nagelsmann was not pleased with Sommer’s risk-taking but chose instead to praise de Ligt’s game-changing intervention.

“Nine out of 10 defenders in the world would have left that because they thought it was already in,” the 35-year-old German said.

“It was an unbelievable play. He (de Ligt) loves to defend and hates to concede goals.

“Mistakes happen, but thankfully we have a defender who rescued us.”

Sommer, who arrived in Munich from Borussia Monchengladbach in January to replace injured Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, joked that he had a special reward in mind for de Ligt.

“I’ve told him before once or twice that there’ll be a block of Swiss chocolate sitting on his doorstep for his efforts,” he said.
AFP, REUTERS

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.