Champions League
Mbappe brace sink Sociedad, sends PSG into last eight
Kylian Mbappe capped a fine display with two goals as Paris St-Germain comfortably moved into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Real Sociedad.
With the trip to San Sebastian billed as a potentially tricky second leg for PSG to negotiate, all eyes were on Mbappe, who has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.
And the France forward turned in a superb performance to register his 27th and 28th goals of the campaign for Luis Enrique’s side.
The 25-year-old gave the hosts an early warning by accelerating past Hamari Traore to set up a chance for Bradley Barcola, which Alex Remiro, the home goalkeeper, successfully blocked.
And six minutes later, Mbappe opened his account for the evening, latching on to Ousmane Dembele’s pass and teasing home defender Igor Zubeldia before whipping a right-foot effort into the bottom-right corner with such power and precision that it temporarily dislodged the netting.
Mbappe’s second of the night arrived shortly after the break as he raced clear down the left to collect Lee Kang-in’s pass and then emphatically dispatched a disguised low shot past Remiro at his near post.
It was no more than the Parisiens deserved, with Imanol Alguacil’s Sociedad team far too passive in the opening stages and only sparking into life after they had fallen four goals behind on aggregate.
By then, it was far too late, with Mikel Merino’s driven effort in the closing minutes proving merely a consolation.
The draw for the last eight of the competition takes place on Friday, March 15 (11:00 GMT).
