Kylian Mbappe, the star forward of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), surprisingly took responsibility for his team’s Champions League exit, acknowledging his lack of decisiveness in front of goal as Borussia Dortmund knocked PSG out of the tournament.
The hopes of PSG were dashed as Dortmund secured a 2-0 aggregate victory in the semi-finals. The goals came from Niclas Fullkrug and Mats Hummels sealing their advancement to the final.
Despite PSG’s dominance in Tuesday’s second-leg match, with 30 shots compared to Dortmund’s seven and 70 percent possession, they failed to convert their chances, hitting the post six times.
Reflecting on the defeat, Mbappe admitted, “I tried to help my team as best as I could but I didn’t do enough. When we talk about being efficient in the boxes, I think I’m the one targeted. I’m the guy who should score goals and be decisive.When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow. That’s not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That’s life and we have to move on, me and the team.”
He continued, “I don’t know if they were better than us. We don’t need to denigrate them. In my humble opinion, they were superior in the two boxes. They came once or twice in ours and scored. We went often in theirs and we never managed to score. It’s a fact. I don’t like to talk about being unlucky. When you are good, it doesn’t hit the post, it goes in. Today, we were not good enough, us the attackers.”
Mbappe, who looks set to join Real Madrid after his contract expires, expressed disappointment at leaving PSG without winning the Champions League, despite his success in domestic competitions. As PSG prepares for upcoming matches, including the French Cup final, Mbappe aims to conclude his tenure with the club on a high note.
The unexpected admission of responsibility from Mbappe adds a new dimension to PSG’s Champions League disappointment, as the team grapples with the aftermath of their elimination from the tournament.