I’m never going to get over it”
Mbappe says he will never be able to forget the disappointment of losing the World Cup final
Kylian Mbappe said he will never get over the disappointment of losing the World Cup final after the France star scored the winner on his return to action for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
“I think I’m never going to get over it,” Mbappe said, speaking 10 days after he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina which the South Americans won in a penalty shootout. Mbappe showed few signs of the setback in Qatar as he won and converted a 96th minute penalty to give PSG a last-gasp 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Ligue 1’s resumption following the World Cup break.
“As I said to my teammates, there is no reason why the club should pay the price for the failure of the national team, they are two very different situations,” Mbappe said.
Neymar, who was left in tears after Brazil were knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, was sent off for two yellow cards in PSG’s victory.
Constant menace
Captain Marquinhos had put the hosts ahead with an early header but the Brazilian defender scored an own goal after 51 minutes as some of PSG’s stars appeared to be suffering a post-Qatar hangover.
Neymar picked up a yellow for a petulant flick in the face of a Strasbourg player and then earned another for a blatant dive in the penalty area just after the hour.
Mbappe had been a constant menace for PSG but was unable to find the target with two clear-cut chances.
But deep into second-half injury time he was brought down in the penalty area and converted the winner from the spot in the 96th minute.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi was absent from the PSG lineup after his World Cup-winning exploits. The victory put PSG eight points ahead of Lens, who must beat Nice to keep up.
PSG also announced that their 30-year-old Italian midfielder Marco Verratti has extended his stay at the club until 2026.
In other games, Lille beat 10man Clermont 2-0 thanks to an Angle Gomes penalty and a late settler from Mohammad Bayo deep in time added on.
Lyon thrashed Brest 4-2 away from home as they push for the European places.
France may have had a glimpse of the future earlier on Wednesday when 17-year-old Monaco forward Eliesse Ben Seghir secured all three points in a 3-2 win over Auxerre on his Ligue 1 debut.
Thierry Henry was two months younger when he scored his first double for Monaco against Lens aged 17 years and 8 months back in 1995, but the brilliance of Ben Seghir’s brace brought back memories of the Arsenal and France star.