Kylian Mbappe had a night to forget on Wednesday as he missed the penalty spot twice and picked up the injury during Paris Saint-Germain win 3-1 away Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1. The France international enjoyed a rocky opener 20 minutes before being substituted with what appeared to be a hamstring problem a fortnight before the UEFA Champions League return.
Mbappe’s blushes were spared as PSG netted three times without him and the absentee Neymar on the ground but Christophe Galtier will be afraid that Sergio Ramos also came out. There was also the history made as Warren Zaire Emery became the youngest goalscorer in the capital club’s history, not even being 17 yet.
However, the evening was mainly about Mbappe and the question of his eligibility to face Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes in just under two weeks. The 24-year-old was unable to convert from the penalty spot twice as he was denied by Benjamin Lecomte the first time before failing to hit the target after his rebound effort hit the woodwork.
Mbappe appeared to have hamstring issues when he left for Stade de la Mosson, which could mean he’s in direct contact with Bayern and isn’t available until then. Barely ideal when Neymar is already suffering from “muscle fatigue” and the star trio of Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi fights for a collective form.
“Kylian took a hit in the knee or just behind,” Galtier explained after the final whistle. “We’ll see, but it doesn’t look too bad. Overall, it was a good performance. We had to concentrate. The scenario in the first half was incredible, but we found the taste of victory on the end.”
To make matters worse, just hours after missing hakim ziyech and Milan Skriniar in the January transfer window, Ramos came out around 10 minutes after Mbappe. Captain Marquinhos is now the only in-form senior centre-back available for Galtier, which means that Danilo Pereira or El Chadaille Bitshiabu are likely to fill.
It wasn’t all bad news as Fabian Ruiz netted a well-deserved goal and an assist while Messi returned among the goals. It could have been a better final score too At Kiki Kouyate his own goal and Achraf Hakimi’s efforts weren’t ruled out via VAR either side of the half.
The Moroccan expected Zaire Emery to make history late, but it was only after the PSG defense sent in another goal Arnaud Nordin to cash in for the fourth time in five Ligue 1 games since the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite all that, RC Lens‘ Lost 1-0 at home to OGC Nice coupled with Olympique de Marseille’s 2-0 away win at FC Nantes actually increased PSG’s lead at the top of the Championship to five points.
PSG eagerly await test results on Mbappe’s injury with Neymar already in need of rest and Marco Veratti hanging here and just coming back from injury.
