Ancelotti hails Mbappé for hat-trick against City

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on his striker Kylian Mbappé after he scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday that took the Champions League holders into the last 16.

Ancelotti said Mbappé had the potential to reach the same level as club great Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Real’s all-time leading scorer with 451 goals in 438 games for the 15-times Champions League winners.

“He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano’s level,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“Everyone was waiting for this hat-trick from him and it has finally arrived. But Mbappé is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality which is remarkable.”

Mbappé, who scored 256 goals in 308 appearances over six years at Paris St Germain, said he did not care about being the top scorer if it did not lead to silverware.

“I was the Champions League’s top scorer last year, but did I win it? No,” Mbappé said.

“I don’t care about being the leading scorer, in my career, I have scored many goals. If with these goals we win titles I will sign with my blood. If I can score 50, all the better, but all I want is to win titles,” he said.

Ancelotti lamented that his side had to go through the pain of the knockout round but said that they were to blame after a slow start to the campaign that caused them to finish outside the top eight in the league standings

The holders will face Bayer Leverkusen or city rivals Atletico Madrid, depending on Friday’s draw, as they seek a record-extending 16th title.

“It’s not positive at all having to go through the knock-out because we had to play 10 games to get to the last 16,” Ancelotti said.

“We’re not coming out of a difficult period, we’re entering one because this is when the real season starts. There is no way to stop, to rest. But on an emotional level, sure, this tie has been good for us. Let’s keep rolling.”

Mbappé opened the scoring with Real’s first attack in the fourth minute, taking advantage of another huge blunder by City’s defence when captain Ruben Dias missed his header and left the French forward free to lob over the onrushing Ederson.

Mbappé scored again in the 33rd with a close-range strike after a humiliating cutback that left defender Josko Gvardiol on the floor.

Real kept piling on the pressure and wasting chances against Pep Guardiola’s struggling team. Mbappé scored his third in the 61st with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box just inside Ederson’s right post.

City scored a compensation goal at the death, Nico Gonzalez converting a rebound after Omar Marmoush’s free kick bounced off the crossbar, but it did little to tarnish a fantastic night for the Spaniards. 

Also on Wednesday night, Paris St Germain cruised into the last 16 with a crushing 7-0 home victory over fellow French side Brest to secure a 10-0 aggregate triumph.

After PSG’s 3-0 away win in the first leg, both teams started slowly, showing little urgency or a clear game plan with the hosts fully in control of the tie.

Bradley Barcola broke the deadlock for PSG after 20 minutes and shortly before halftime Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with a tap-in from a tight angle.

Vitinha made it three just before the hour mark and Desire Doue added the fourth.

Nuno Mendes grabbed PSG’s fifth, Goncalo Ramos added a sixth and Brest’s humiliation was complete four minutes from time when Senny Mayulu became the seventh PSG player to score and complete the rout. 

Defender Ryan Flamingo scored an extra-time winner to give PSV Eindhoven a 3-1 home win over Juventus, overturning a first-leg deficit and putting them through to the last 16.

The tie was level at 3-3 on aggregate after 90 minutes and went into extra time before Flamingo poached a 98th-minute winner to see the Dutch side advance as Juventus became the third Italian side eliminated from the competition after AC Milan and Atalanta on Tuesday.

Borussia Dortmund sailed into the last 16 with a comfortable 0-0 home draw to Sporting in their second leg away, giving last year’s runners-up a 3-0 aggregate win.

Reuters