Torino, Nov 3 (BUS): If Kylian Mbappe continues with this, he may not be able to stop him in the upcoming World Cup finals in Qatar.
Mbappe’s strength and power was demonstrated when he shook a defender as he pulled his shirt hard to score an unforgettable Champions League goal.
Mbappe also created another goal as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 in an already eliminated Juventus, which secured a place in the Europa League.
But Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for second place in Group H since Benfica advanced with away goals with a 6-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa, the Associated Press reported.
Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain each finished with 14 points. Juventus goes to the Europa League despite having only three points in total, like Haifa, because he kept the tiebreaker over the Israeli club.
PSG are now risking dragging Real Madrid – the team that ousted them last year – into the Round of 16, or other European powers such as Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
“We wanted to win the group but that’s what happens in football,” Mbappe said. “We were a little confused, a little unsure, but it’s about the Champions League and winning is always the most important thing. I’m glad I scored the goal and I’m glad we won. We have to see what the draw brings.”
Early in the first half, inexperienced Juventus defender Federico Gatti did everything in his power to keep Mbappe behind, but the French striker looked unfazed and quickly cut past Manuel Locatelli before firing a powerful shot past three other defenders who bounced off the post.
It was Mbappe’s seventh goal in the six-match group stage and 40th place in 59 Champions League matches. At the age of 23, he surpassed teammate Lionel Messi to become the youngest player to score 40 goals in Europe’s biggest club competition.
Mbappe already scored four goals when he helped France win the 2018 World Cup. If France offers another round in this year’s tournament, which begins on November 20, he could score more.
Juventus captain Leonardo Bonucci equalized before the break from close range with a header from Juan Cuadrado to score his first Champions League goal in six years.
Midway through the second half, Mbappe scored a perfectly positioned pass to put substitute Nuno Mendes for the win on a counterattack.
With 11 players out of the club through injury, Juventus fans cheered loudly as key winger Federico Chiesa came on in the second half to mark his comeback after nearly 300 days out since he ruptured the ACL in his left knee in January.
Then Juventus scored a possible goal from Locatelli, who seemed to be offside.
Juventus’ campaign was forgotten, as they lost five of their six matches and missed the knockout stage for the first time since 2013-14.
“We will definitely play the Europa League. But Juventus expect to play against the best teams in March. We haven’t progressed well and that makes us very angry,” said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.