PSG beat Sociedad 2-0 in the first round

Sports Desk:  Kylian Mbappé did not do very well at the beginning of the game. The star forward touched the ball just 15 times in PSG's pass-heavy first half. Which is the lowest among the 20 players on the field excluding the goalkeeper. But Mbappe changed after the break. PSG's scoreline also changed. Real broke through Sociedad's solid defense with a superb finish, en route to a further goal for PSG. Second-half goals helped PSG beat Sociedad 2-0 in the first round of the Champions League last 16. Along with Mbappe, the other scorer is Bradley Barkola.

Real Sociedad was the best team defensively in this year's group stage. Six matches unbeaten (three wins, three draws), four clean sheets, fewest goals conceded (2) and fewest shots on target against (12). That trend continued in the first half of today's Pak de Princes. PSG could not break the walls of the Spanish club.

 PSG managed only 4 shots before the break. Although Golmukh could not be opened. Mbappe, who missed the league match against Lille due to injury, was absent despite returning to the starting XI. The rest of the team was also lackluster. Instead, Sociedad was almost getting a goal at the end of the first half. Mikel Merino's shot from well outside the box hit the crossbar and saved PSG. In the second half, however, the hosts showed dominance. In the 58th minute, Mbappe volleyed the ball from Marquinios' head into the net. This is his 44th goal in the Champions League.

This goal also became a record for the French star. Mbappe became the first player in Champions League history to score in 10 consecutive home matches (13 in total). PSG didn't have to wait as long for the second goal as they did the first. In the 70th minute, 21-year-old Barcola widened the gap by sending the ball into the net between the legs of the Sociedad goalkeeper. In the end, PSG ended the first leg with a 2-0 margin. The second leg will be played at Sociedad's ground on March 5.

 

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