Kylian Mbappe responded to being dropped by coming off the bench and scoring the opener as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 at Marseille on Sunday to make it 11 wins out of 11 in Ligue 1 this season and match a long-standing European record.
Mbappe was a shock omission from the PSG starting line-up by coach Thomas Tuchel, with broadcaster Canal Plus reporting the move was a punishment after the teenage World Cup winner showed up late for the pre-match team talk.
But he was sent on in the 62nd minute of ‘Le Classique’ for Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and scored the breakthrough goal just three minutes later, being released by Angel di Maria and racing clear to finish past Steve Mandanda.
It was Mbappe’s 10th Ligue 1 goal this season, and Julian Draxler then wrapped up the victory in stoppage time.
An 11th win on the bounce from the start of the campaign for PSG means they have equalled Tottenham Hotspur’s record from the 1960-61 season, the best in any of Europe’s big five leagues.
“It was what the team needed,” Mbappe told Canal Plus of his cameo off the bench.
“A great team relies on its leaders and they need to be able to make the difference in key moments. I can take on that role and I did it today.”
The win record is a superb achievement for Tuchel, even if it is marred somewhat by PSG’s patchy performances in the Champions League, including a fortunate 2-2 draw at home to Napoli in midweek.
But the German admitted that the result had been overshadowed by the decision to drop Mbappe, which he intimated was a necessary measure.
