The French phenom set up his side’s late winner and was quick to sing the praises of his club’s physios
Kylian Mbappe thanked Paris Saint-Germain‘s medical staff for getting him fit in time to play a starring role in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final win over Atalanta.
Speaking two weeks ago, PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel said key man Mbappe required “a miracle” to recover from an ankle sprain sustained on July 24.
But the France international was named among the substitutes and made a big impact from the bench in the final half hour of the Ligue 1 champions’ remarkable 2-1 triumph.
Mbappe linked up with Neymar and set up fellow substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for a 93rd-minute winner, 149 seconds after Marquinhos cancelled out Mario Pasalic’s opener.
After helping his side book a first semi-final appearance in the competition since 1995, the 21-year-old went on social media to praise the club’s backroom staff.
“You don’t talk to me about pain,” he tweeted. “A big thank you to the medical staff for getting me back on my feet, no one believed it except us.
“Congratulations to the whole group, we want to get this one.”
Tuchel, who broke a bone in his foot during a training session last week, clenched both fists and let out a huge roar when the winning goal hit the net, potentially saving his job at the Parc des Princes in the process.
Speaking to RMC Sport after the match, the German coach said: “Imagine what I could have done with two legs! It is our 50th birthday today and we will not forget this day. We are really happy to be in the semi-finals.
“It is a historic season, with four titles and a Champions League semi-final.
“I doubted after 88 minutes of play, I was realistic, but we always thought about scoring.
“I told my assistants: ‘if we draw, we will make a difference soon after’. We had a great game and the qualification is deserved.
“It was a bit of luck with those late goals but if you look at the whole game, it’s deserved.”
PSG now move into the semi-finals of the competition and will come up against either RB Leipzig or Atletico Madrid, who square off against each other on Thursday.
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