Mbappe upstages Messi; Liverpool win
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to rout Barcelona 4-1 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League yesterday.
Lionel Messi put Barcelona in front after converting a first-half penalty but Mbappe led PSG’s comeback in the absence of the injured Neymar. In the teams’ first meeting since Barcelona’s memorable 6-1 victory to reverse a 4-0 loss at the same stage nearly four years ago, PSG again built a big first-leg advantage.
Mbappe scored the opener and added two second-half goals to become the first player to score an away hat-trick at the Camp Nou Stadium in the
Champions League since Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kyiv in a 4-0 win in 1997.
‘‘It was a very important match for us,’’ Mbappe said. ‘‘We wanted to come here and win. We did that in style. Tonight was magnificent, but we haven’t won anything yet.’’
Moise Kean also scored in the second half for PSG, last season’s finalists who looked far more dangerous than the hosts throughout the match at the empty Camp Nou.
The second leg will be on March 10 in Paris.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane pounced on defensive mistakes to score Liverpool’s goals in a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig, giving the six-time European champions some respite amid an alarming slump in domestic form.
The Champions League is the only trophy Liverpool can win this season after dropping out of the Premier League title race unexpectedly early, and Jurgen Klopp’s side is already in sight of the quarterfinals after being given a helping hand from Leipzig.
‘‘A lot of people were waiting for us to slip again,’’ Klopp said. ‘‘And tonight the boys didn’t, and I’m really happy for them.’’
The first leg of the teams’ last-16 match was played at the Puskas Arena in Hungary because of German restrictions on arrivals from Britain amid the pandemic.
Aside from their two-goal advantage, Liverpool will have the added benefit of playing the second leg on March 10 at their home stadium, Anfield, albeit without fans allowed.