Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola handed Paris St Germain a hard-fought 2-0 win over visitors Real Sociedad in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Wednesday. The Basque club, who arrived at the Parc des Princes unbeaten in this year’s competition after topping Group D, were arguably the better side until Mbappe fired home a volley to give the French champions the lead in the 58th minute. Barcola then sliced through the visiting defense on the left to finish clinically past goalkeeper Alex Remiro for his first PSG goal.
Despite the abrasive physicality of their encounter, both teams created several chances in the first half, but neither could find the net. The opening period ended with a lull in action before Luis Enrique’s men finally broke the deadlock with the pace of Mbappe. The 19-year-old, expected to leave the Parc des Princes at the end of his contract this summer, pounced on Marquinhos’ corner to give PSG the lead in the 58th minute.
Mbappe would have had a second on the hour mark had his close-range header not hit the crossbar. He then went close again with a low shot from the edge of the box that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved. Sociedad also had a chance on the break as Mikel Merino drilled a left-footed effort against the far post, but it was a rare highlight in a frustrating opening 45 minutes.
The second period began with the Ligue 1 champions looking more likely to add to their tally, but the visitors were able to carve out some attacking opportunities. First, a low free-kick from Martin Zubimendi found the foot of the upright before another set piece caused some concern in the Parisien defense.
It was a brighter start to the second period as a swift move involving Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele created an opening. Still, the young winger could not capitalize on the opportunity. Then came a more concerted attacking display from the visitors, but they could not find the final pass to create a clear-cut opportunity.
The pressure on PSG continued to build with the clock running down, and in the final stages, the hosts were a tad unnerved by some heavy tackles from their visitors. However, they held on and can look forward to a visit to San Sebastian next month, knowing they have a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals despite an unconvincing first-half performance.