After Barcelona, Mbappe targets Bayern Munich as PSG earn 3 away goals

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg on Wednesday.

It was the meeting between last year's finalists and this time around, the French side got the better of the reigning European champions. PSG have bagged three crucial away goals and will have a major edge over Bayern Munich heading into the second leg of their quarter-finals.

Mbappe took just three minutes to put PSG 1-0 up in Munich as he powered one past Manuel Neuer after being set up by Neymar. Mbappe's goal just after 149 seconds is the earliest that Bayern Munich have conceded a goal from the start of a Champions League knockout stage match since March 2010, when Wayne Rooney scored past them after 63 seconds, according to Opta Joe.

Opta Joe has also stated that since Neymar and Mbappe's first season together in 2017-18, the two have assisted one another for 10 Champions League goals: this is at least three more than any other pair in the competition in this period.

Marquinhos doubled the lead for the French champions with his 28th-minute strike, which was once again assisted by Neymar. A few minutes later, former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting headed one to cut the deficit to half.

The German goalkeeper Neuer denied Neymar from point-blank range early in the second half, before PSG's shot-stopper Keylor Navas negated attempts from David Alaba and Benjamin Pavard at the other end. Sixty minutes into the game, Bayern Munich deservedly netted an equaliser as Thomas Muller guided a header into the back of the net from Joshua Kimmich's free-kick.

However, the 22-year-old Mbappe had the final laugh as he flicked a low strike to earn PSG a vital third away goal at the Allianz Arena.

In the process, the World Cup-winning Mbappe registered a record in the European tournament. Having netted eight goals in the 2020-21 Champions League campaign, he now has the joint-most goals in a single season in the competition by a Frenchman, along with Wissam Ben Yedder in 2017-18 and David Trezeguet in 2001-02.

In PSG's previous game in the Champions League, Mbappe scored a hat-trick that had helped his side eliminate FC Barcelona from this season's tournament. Reacting to his five goals in two games in the ongoing Champions League, Mbappe said, "Like I said in Barcelona, I love this type of game. They haven't always gone my way and maybe they won't in the future, but I'm not here to hide. I love this kind of game and being decisive."