09 March 2023 , 07:51
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Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe claimed his team did the "maximum" possible despite going out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.
In the rematch of the 2020 final, PSG left themselves with a mountain to climb after losing the first leg at home to the German champions. Neymar's ankle woes made their task in the return game even harder, as did the first-half injury which forced captain Marquinhos to make way.
After Kingsley Coman scored the winner in the first leg, another former PSG player did the damage at the Allianz Arena. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put Bayern in front, with Serge Gnabry's late goal adding gloss to the scoreline for Bayern.
"We are disappointed. That's how it is, we have to move on, try to challenge everyone," Mbappe said in the mixed zone after PSG's defeat (via RMC Sport ). "They [Bayern] have a team built to win the Champions League.
"At the start of the season, during the first Champions League press conference, I said that we were going to do our best. This is our maximum. We're going to question ourselves and go back to our daily life in the championship."
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PSG had been in impressive domestic form in between the two legs of their European clash, claiming victories over Lille, Marseille and Nantes. The run has allowed them to open up an eight-point lead over closest challengers Marseille with 12 games of the season remaining.
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Kylian Mbappe and his team-mates drew a blank against Bayern (Andreas Schaad/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Despite investing heavily in their squad over the last decade, PSG are still waiting for their first Champions League title. They followed the 2020 final with a run to the semis in 2021, but Real Madrid handed them an early elimination last term before Bayern followed suit.
“I am delighted that PSG have gone out,” pundit Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports after PSG's elimination. “I just don’t like the whole setup – everything about it. That is not a team, it is a mess.
“Five years of the last seven, they have gone out at the Round of 16. They have spent more money than anyone. They have the best players in the world.
“And this is brilliant because it shows you how important it is to actually be a team. It is really important in football. We love individuals within a team but that is not a team. Kylian Mbappe has got to leave that club.”
The result at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night means half of the Champions League's quarter-finalists have been decided. AC Milan also progressed, thanks to a 1-0 aggregate victory over Tottenham, while Chelsea and Benfica made it through after home wins on Tuesday.