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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Kylian Mbappe responds to "easy" Real Madrid transfer question after late PSG winner

Kylian Mbappe says it was "easy" to shut out the noise about his future as he fired Paris Saint-Germain to a late Champions League win over prospective future employers Real Madrid.

The PSG forward is out of contract in the French capital at the end of the season, and is widely expected to join the Spanish giants on a free transfer.

But he showed no love for Real when he cut through the visiting defence in stoppage time to fire home the night's solitary goal through the legs of visiting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, giving PSG a 1-0 lead to take into the second leg of the last-16 tie after Lionel Messi had earlier missed a penalty.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Mbappe was asked about the context around the game and surrounding his future.

"How can you ignore the context?" he said, via Canal+.

Mbappe struck late on in the first leg (REUTERS)

"It's easy, you have to play football. We ask too many questions, we say too many things to each other. We talk about PSG and Real, two great clubs. I'm a PSG player, I'm always very happy.

On the game he added: "We wanted to be ready for these big games. We dream of these kinds of nights. We wanted to win, we were pushed by our supporters. There's a return match, there's the Championship first against Nantes on Saturday, and then we'll attack the match on March 9.

"I said I would give it my all. I had to show it with actions. I did it the first time, we'll have to show it a second time at the Bernabeu.

"How do we approach the return? We have to win! First of all for us to be competitors. Going there to say that we have a result is not worthy of a club like PSG. We'll have to analyse the match, it will be a different context."

On the goal, he added: "In the box the striker is always in control. The defender steps back, I decide where I want to go, and then I manage to put it between Courtois' legs."

Real goalkeeper Courtois was disappointed with the defeat, but hopes his side can turn it around in the second leg.

Mbappe's late effort went through the legs of Thibaut Courtois (REUTERS)

"We started well enough but we perhaps weren't calm enough on the ball and suffered because of that, not countering well enough," he told BT Sport.

"We lost a stupid ball, Kylian Mbappe skips by two and manages to get the ball under me. It's tough to take but we didn't play well.

"Our gameplan doesn't change all that much being one down – we need to win to go through. Hopefully, with the fans behind us, we'll do just that.

"In these kind of games you know, as a goalkeeper, you're going to have quite a bit to do. I'd studied Lionel Messi's penalties a lot and I tried to play with him when I was on the line. You've also got to have that little bit of luck, too."

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