Twitter explodes as Kylian Mbappe secures late win for PSG after Lionel Messi misses penalty against Real Madrid

Mbappe came to the rescue for PSG on a night when Messi failed from the spot

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Lionel Messi can thank Kylian Mbappe, who helped them secure a well-deserved late win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Earlier, Messi missed a penalty for the hosts at the Parc des Princes, but the Argentine will feel relieved at the full-time whistle thanks to his teammate Mbappe.

Ever since the referee's whistle to mark the beginning of proceedings in front of a raucous crowd in Paris, PSG dominated the game. Mauricio Pochettino's men enjoyed the lion's share of possession and forced Real Madrid on the back foot.

Mbappe, in particular, looked menacing on the left flank and persistently troubled Dani Carvajal, with full-back Nuno Mendes also providing the attacking impetus for PSG. But for all their dominance, the Ligue 1 giants were unable to break the deadlock before the half-time interval.

Courtois denies Messi and Paris AGAIN 🚫

#UCL https://t.co/UNt1gIyi18

Lionel Messi could not get the better of Thibaut Courtois after PSG were handed a lifeline

Shortly after the restart, PSG were handed a golden opportunity to finally open the scoring in the 62nd minute. Carvajal brought down Mbappe inside the penalty area and was correctly penalized for the foul.

Lionel Messi stepped up to try and convert the spot-kick, but failed to do so. Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Courtois guessed the right way and made an excellent save to his right before being hugged by his teammates. Lionel Messi cut a dejected figure and it seemed as if his miss would prove costly for PSG.

However, Mbappe then produced a breath-taking individual display to ensure PSG earned an advantage over Real Madrid at the end of the first leg round of 16 clash. Latching on to a backheel from second-half substitute Neymar, Mbappe drifted into the penalty area and beat two Real Madrid defenders before firing his shot into the back of the net.

Kylian Mbappé has now scored 13 goals in his last 13 Champions League matches 🔥

#UCL https://t.co/K2DmedQKDR

The PSG players wheeled away in celebration and swarmed Mbappe as the crowd broke into a delirium of noise. In the wake of the Frenchman outperforming Lionel Messi once again, several reactions surfaced on Twitter. On that note, here are some of the best tweets from the game:

Remember when everybody was excited about seeing this PSG team play?

Messi is 35 in June. Ronaldo has just turned 37. We should probably lower our expectations. They still do wonderful things, but not even these footballing Gods can defy father time forever. twitter.com/rambofyi/statu…

2/4 - Leo Messi missed two of his last four penalties in the #UCL - both times at Parc de Princes (in March 2021 with Barcelona and tonight for PSG).

While Thibaut Courtois is the first Real Madrid goalkeeper to save a penalty in a UCL game since Iker Casillas in 2007. Miss. https://t.co/vwOYxDBQwL

Ronaldo scoring Messi missing, life is all about balance you see.

Surely PSG has a better option for penalties than Messi?

I guess he was right to say he sees Messi as an ordinary player https://t.co/bJQRo8d23R

Neymar Hazard and Bale in 2022 https://t.co/zahblpcMw8

Finally Paredes gets booked after his 1527273748473738483th foul.

If you Put Cristiano Ronaldo in this PSG squad.. On God he will be scoring 40+ goals every season.

Messi... https://t.co/4IgrAN1urX

KYLIAN MBAPPE IN THE 93 MINUTE WINS THE GAME FOR PSG HE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT THE WHOLE GAME!!! https://t.co/oQpSNTmyYq

Mbappe destroying his new team.

“If we get a penalty I’ll let Messi take it because I know he’ll miss it, trust me bro” https://t.co/Rdjbl48p95

Mbappe takes responsibility and that’s what world class players do.

Kylian #Mbappè is the best football player in the world. #KM7 #PSGRMA

Kylian Mbappé has now been directly involved in 35 goals across all competitions this season:

◎ 32 games
◉ 22 goals
◎ 13 assists

Match winner. 😤 https://t.co/OqW2VCKbxk

Mbappe is PSG's best player, argue with yourself

How does Mbappe score from this ALL BY HIMSELF https://t.co/OIN2KRsBKo

93 - Kylian Mbappé has scored the latest goal for Paris in Champions League (93 minutes and 14 seconds) since the one scored by Blaise Matuidi (93 minutes and 44 seconds) against Barcelona in April 2013. Drama. #PSGRMA https://t.co/nxWkZtMWtO