“Do I tackle him or not?” – Pays de Cassel captain opens up on crazy dilemma while facing Kylian Mbappe during PSG clash
Ahead of his team’s French Cup Round-of-32 clash against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Pays de Cassel captain keeper Alexis Zmijak made an admission about Kylian Mbappe. Zmijak admitted that he was not sure whether or not he would tackle the Frenchman if he went through on goal.
PSG inflicted a massive 7-0 defeat upon sixth-division side Pays de Cassel in their French Cup meeting on Monday night (23 January). Mbappe ran the show for the Parisians, scoring a whopping five goals.
Leading up to the game, Pays de Cassel center-back Zmijak opened up about conflict of interests. The 34-year-old, who is a PSG Ultra, admitted that he would hesitate to jeopardize Les Parisiens’ chances against Bayern Munich in the Champions League with a tackle on Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking to Le Parisien before Monday’s French Cup game, Zmijak said:
“If Mbappé goes on goal, do I tackle him or not? Do I say to myself: wait, he must play Bayern in the UCL soon?"
He added:
“It's a strange feeling to be fighting on the field now against the players I watched from the stands and cheered on. I couldn't have imagined it. We lost our minds when the draw was made.”
Kylian Mbappe’s team takes on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 clash on 14 February in Paris. The return leg will be played in Munich on 8 March.
Kylian Mbappe becomes the first PSG player to score five goals in a game
Despite facing a markedly inferior team, Christophe Galtier fielded a strong XI, featuring Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 29th minute, doubled his tally five minutes later, and completed his hat trick in the 40th minute. He continued the onslaught in the second half, scoring his fourth and fifth goals in the 56th and 79th minutes, respectively. Neymar (33 minutes) and Carlos Soler (64 minutes) scored the other two goals as PSG cruised to their biggest win of the season.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ @KMbappe https://t.co/Ew0zgnDQgu
With his devastating performance, during which he also created three chances, Mbappe became the first-ever Parisian star to score five goals in a competitive game.