Rome, October 12 (BUS): Happy or not, Kylian Mbappe continues to score goals for Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are no longer the same without Erling Haaland, the Associated Press reports.
However, City – despite a goalless draw with FC Copenhagen – joined defending champions Real Madrid on Tuesday as the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
On the same day as reports emerged that Mbappe was frustrated at PSG and wanted to leave during the January transfer window, the France striker scored a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Benfica.
It was Mbappe’s 31st goal for PSG in the competition, surpassing Edinson Cavani to set a club record.
Mbappe was close to joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, but he finally agreed to stay at PSG for another two years with an option for an additional season.
The 23-year-old Frenchman celebrated his latest goal by raising his arms wide and rushing into the stands at the Parc de Princes without any outward sign of exasperation.
Mbappe also had acrobatic potential later ditched the VAR, leaving PSG on the same points with Benfica at the top of Group E.
City stop
With Haaland resting, the 10-man City drew 0-0 with FC Copenhagen, a side struggling in the lower half of the Danish league.
Copenhagen became the first team to prevent City from scoring this season in a match that was overshadowed by early video review decisions.
One of this VAR call resulted in City left-back Sergio Gomez red card in the 30th minute for replying Haakon Arnar Haraldson as the last player, harming the visitors’ offensive ambitions at Barkin Stadium.
However, City leads Group G with 10 points, followed by Borussia Dortmund (7), Seville (2) and Copenhagen (2).
City, like Madrid, advanced, with two rounds of matches remaining in the group stage.
Bellingham consistency
At 19, England midfielder Judd Bellingham has scored all four of Dortmund’s Champions League matches this season.
Young players took center stage as Sevilla headed home from 20-year-old defender Tanguy Nyanzu before Bellingham fired in Thomas Meunier’s low cross to level 1-1.
Only Haaland (5 goals) and Mbappe (4) have scored more Champions League goals this season.
Bellingham also became the highest-scoring English young player in a single Champions League season, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s record by three goals in 2004-05.
Trickster to the rescue
Antonio Rudiger had blood on his face as he scored the injury-time equalizer for Madrid in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Also, Timo Werner scored his first Champions League goal since returning to Leipzig to help secure a 2-0 win over Celtic.
Madrid leads Group F with 10 points, followed by RB Leipzig (6), Shakhtar (5) and Celtic (1).
chelsea wound
Chelsea were bottom of Group E, but two back-to-back victories over Italian champions AC Milan saw them move into pole position to advance to the last 16.
Chelsea climbed to the top of the group with a 2-0 victory over AC Milan, who played most of the match with ten men, after former Blues defender Fikayo Tomori was sent off in the 18th minute after he awarded a penalty kick.
Jorginho converted the penalty and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the visitors’ lead in the 34th minute.
Chelsea advanced by one point above Salzburg, who drew 1-1 with its guest Dinamo Zagreb in the other Group E match. Milan and Dynamo are three points behind Chelsea.
juventus crisis
Juventus slid further into crisis and were on the verge of being eliminated from the Champions League after a 2-0 loss to Maccabi Haifa which also included the injury of key winger Angel Di Maria.
Omar Atzeli scored two goals in the first half to bring Haifa to his first victory in the Champions League in two decades.
Juventus finished third in Group H, behind Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica by two matches.