Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring as Paris St Germain recorded a 2-0 last-16 first leg victory over Real Sociedad in the Champions League.

The Ligue 1 champions took control of the tie with two second-half goals at Parc Des Princes.

Mbappe struck in the 58th minute before Bradley Barcola’s 70th-minute strike gave the Parisians an aggregate advantage ahead of the return leg in March.

Sociedad almost took the lead in the first half. Brais Mendez whipped in a free-kick which tested the PSG defence before Andre Silva failed to score from close range.

After Alex Remiro denied Mbappe, the LaLiga club went close again with a double effort from Takefusa Kubo.

The Japan international cut in from the right-hand side of the box and curved an effort towards the back post, but the winger put too much power on the strike and it sailed wide of the target.

After the break Sociedad looked likely to land the first blow but Mendez was denied by the crossbar. The creative Mendez fired a powerful strike from range but his effort cannoned off the upright to keep the scores level.

The visitors’ lack of clinical edge proved costly when Mbappe scored from close-range to give his side the lead just before the hour mark.

Ousmane Dembele’s curved corner saw Marquinhos flick the ball on into the path of the dangerous Mbappe, evading his marker to score.

And in the 69th minute Mbappe looked likely to add another. The striker cut inside on to his favoured right foot and narrowly missed the right post, much to the relief of Remiro who was well-beaten.

But just one minute later PSG double their lead and took full control of the contest.

Fabian Ruiz showed off his skills with a deft through ball before the deadly Barcola drove into the box and finished cutely to confirm the win.

Girona missed the chance to move to the top of LaLiga after they were held to a goalless draw by Real Sociedad at Estadi Montilivi.

The Catalan club, who are one point behind leaders Real Madrid and play them next week, struggled without top goalscorer Artem Dovbyk who missed the clash with a knee injury.

The hosts almost landed the first blow. A short corner routine caught Sociedad flat-footed but Aleix Garcia’s shot was saved by Alex Remiro.

Girona thought their persistence had paid off but Yangel Herrera’s header was chalked off for offside.

Savio used nice footwork to beat his man before producing a lifted pass, but Herrera drifted into an offside position when he received the ball and Girona were left frustrated.

Minutes later Sociedad also had a goal ruled out. The dangerous Mikel Oyarzabal took advantage of Paulo Gazzaniga’s poor save and tapped home from six yards before the linesman cut his celebrations short.

After the break, the visitors missed the chance of the match. January signing Sheraldo Becker got on the end of a through ball and used his electric pace to beat Daley Blind in a foot race.

The striker powered an effort narrowly wide, injuring himself in the process.

Sociedad were the better team in the second half and Gazzaniga had to bail the hosts out with an acrobatic stop, tipping Brais Mendez’s close-range volley over the crossbar.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.