Kylian Mbappe sends heart-warming message to Ousmane Dembele after he wins Player of the Match in comeback victory vs Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe sent a message to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Ousmane Dembele after the side overcame Barcelona 4-1 in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday (April 16).
PSG managed to turn the tie around after being 3-2 down after the first leg on April 10, eventually beating the Blaugrana 6-4 on aggregate. Despite help from Ronald Araujo, who was sent off in the 29th minute on Tuesday, it was Dembele's impressive performance that saw his team over the line.
The French winger was instrumental, as he scored the visitors' first goal of the night and even won the penalty for Mbappe's 61st-minute strike, which put them ahead. After winning the Player of the Match award for his exploits, Dembele wrote on his Instagram account:
"Half way! Thank you all for the support. Let's go to Paris."
Reacting to the post, Mbappe, who has played 64 matches for club and country with Dembele and managed nine joint-goal contributions, commented along with red hearts.
"You deserve too much brother," Mbappe wrote.
The 26-year-old attacker also scored in PSG's first-leg defeat at the Parc des Princes. Overall, he's played nine matches in the Champions League this season, bagging two goals and assists each.
Having qualified for the final four, the Parisians will face German team Borussia Dortmund across two legs in the next stage. The first will be played in Dortmund on April 30, after which PSG will host the return leg on May 7.
Ex-Barcelona star predicted Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele threat before quarter-final meeting
Former Barcelona attacker Sonny Anderson warned the Blaugrana about the threat that Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele carried before their quarter-final meeting.
Anderson's fears came true as both French attackers bagged two goals each across both legs of this tie. Speaking before the first leg at the Parc des Princes, he said (via Barca Universal):
"I'm sure PSG will hurt them on counter-attacks with quick players like Mbappe or Dembele, which will be a plus for Paris. Barca's defence is not like last year's, which didn't concede many goals, because they also have problems when it comes to defending towards their goal."
This season in the Champions League, Mbappe has netted on eight occasions in 10 appearances. He's in good form, having scored an additional 24 goals in 26 matches in the French top division.