French connection strikes as PSG thump AC Milan to lead Champions League Group F
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PARIS – Another Kylian Mbappe moment of magic and a Randal Kolo Muani goal helped Paris Saint-Germain beat a toothless AC Milan 3-0 at the Parc des Princes to go top of their Champions League Group F on Wednesday.
France forward Mbappe broke the deadlock with a clever low shot before the break, before Kolo Muani doubled the advantage in the second half after some fine play by their national teammate Ousmane Dembele.
Lee Kang-in added a third in the closing minutes for good measure.
Kolo Muani said: “We wanted to control the match... After the break, we managed to put the result beyond doubt. It gives us confidence for the games to come.”
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery was exceptional in PSG’s midfield and his performance will not have gone unnoticed by France coach Didier Deschamps, who was watching from the stands.
“I am very pleased to be the Man of the Match, but it is a team effort first and foremost,” the teenager told Canal Plus.
PSG coach Luis Enrique added: “He does everything well, defensively and in attack. He is aggressive, good technically, has good vision, can score and set up goals.
“He is the perfect example for all young kids who want to be footballers and want to get to the highest level.”
While it was not an easy affair in the first half, Enrique’s side prevailed to be on six points from three games, two ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who claimed a 1-0 win at Newcastle United.
Zaire-Emery made the opening goal in the 32nd minute when he collected possession in midfield, burst away from Tijjani Reijnders and found Mbappe, who advanced into the box before beating Mike Maignan with an early, low shot into the corner.
The France Under-21 midfielder also provided the cut-back for Lee to score his first PSG goal.
AC Milan, who have now failed to score in five consecutive Champions League games and netted only once in their last four competitive matches, are bottom of the group on two points.
“We played the first half we wanted, but we couldn’t do that in the second half. We lacked a cutting edge in the box and after the break we made mistakes that cost us dearly. We need to put our heads back on our shoulders,” said Milan’s Olivier Giroud.
Teammate Christian Pulisic added on CBS Sports: “We’re not out of it yet, we just need to string a couple of wins together... it’s just not flowing right now but it will come again. We just have to keep our heads up. It doesn’t feel like a game we should lose 3-0, I think that is the message.”
This game saw French international brothers Lucas Hernandez, the PSG defender, and Theo, the Milan captain in the absence of Davide Calabria, come up against each other.
It also saw PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his Milan counterpart Maignan face the clubs where they started their careers.
PSG next travel on Nov 7 to Milan, who will need what would be their first win in the group stage to maintain their hopes of reaching the knockout phase. REUTERS, AFP
