Kylian Mbappe has beaten Cristiano Ronaldo to a stunning landmark but failed to break Lionel Messi’s record.
On Tuesday night, Mbappe starred as Paris Saint Germain sealed their place in the last eight of the Champions League.
Leading 2-0 heading into the second leg against Real Sociedad, Mbappe opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a shot so powerful it broke the net.
In the second half, Mbappe made it 2-0 with 56 minutes on the clock before Mikel Merino pulled one back a minute before the 90.
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On the back of his brace, Mbappe became the second youngest player ever to reach 45 goals in the Champions League at the age of 25 years and 76 days.
The French superstar is only beaten by Messi, who managed that feat when he was just 24 years and 257 days old. Ronaldo did not manage to reach 45 goals until he was past his 27th birthday.
Speaking after the match, Mbappe said: “We knew right away that we couldn't go to sleep. If they had opened the scoring, they would have pushed on with their fans' backing. We had to dampen their hopes early on.
“That's what we did, and we're very happy to be back in the quarterfinals. We wanted to qualify, but we also wanted to win.”
He added: “We had a game plan that was clear, and we managed to score early. We didn't come under too much pressure, just a little at the end.”
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Responding to reports that he and PSG boss Luis Enrique are not seeing eye to eye, Mbappe said: “There is no problem with him even if people think there is a problem.
“I have problems, but the coach is not one of them.”
Enrique said: “I don't have any problem with any player.
“He(Mbappe) can score 50 goals and give 25 assists with any coach. For me he is the best player in the world in the final third, unstoppable. Today he also showed he can hold the ball when the game situation required it and then attack the open field.”
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On the same night, PSG were joined by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after they beat Lazio 3-0 to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Champions League, Football, Paris Saint-Germain