Paris Saint Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that striker Kylian Mbappe had predicted their win over FC Barcelona on Tuesday night.
PSG fell to an earlier Lionel Messi goal at Camp Nou in their Champions league but Mbappe inspired a comeback by grabbing a hat trick as they emerged 4-1 winners of the Catalonia side to boost their chances of making it to the next round of the competition.
Speaking to Marca after the game, the Argentine tactician said: “Great footballers create their own path and those three goals have put him in the media spotlight. We had no doubts and we are very happy for him.
“Confidence always has to be absolute and he felt calm (before the game). He asked me yesterday in training: ‘How many times have you won at Camp Nou?’ I told him once. He answered: ‘Tomorrow, it will be twice.’ That’s why he’s a top player.”
In the game, Messi tucked in a penalty inside the opening half after Frenkie de Jong was fouled inside the box but Mbappe equalized shortly with a sublime effort before doubling his and PSG’s tally shortly after the hour mark before completing his hat-trick in the final ten minutes; Moise Kean scored the club’s third goal.
Before tonight, Mauricio Pochettino had faced Barcelona 11 times in his managerial career with his only win coming at Camp Nou during their 2008-09 treble-winning season…
His PSG side just became the first French team to beat Barça at Camp Nou in the Champions League. #UCL pic.twitter.com/1tWTPF7aoF
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) February 16, 2021
