Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Angers: 5 talking points as controverial Kylian Mbappe penalty secures poor comeback victory | Ligue 1 2021-22
Paris Saint-Germain labored to an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Angers in Ligue 1 sans Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Kylian Mbappe struck a penalty in the 86th minute to seal the comeback after Danilo had canceled out Angelo Fulgini's shock first-half opener for the visitors.
Les Scoïstes found the lead against the run of play with just over half an hour played after catching their might hosts on the break.
They quickly countered up the pitch after winning the ball back in midfield. Sofiane Boufal then got down the right-wing and laid a sublime cross for Fulgini to power home a header.
Despite dominating possession and creating better chances, Paris Saint-Germain found themselves behind at the break, needing a big performance in the second-half.
While they weren't exactly impressive, Mauricio Pochettino's side at least managed to come from behind.
Danilo produced a header of his own to convert a cross from Mbappe. The 2018 World Cup winner later stepped up to take a controversial penalty for Pierrick Capelle's alleged handball.
He made no mistake from 12 yards, coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner to save Paris Saint-Germain another embarrassing result.
Here are the major talking points from the match:
#5 Controversial penalty rescues Paris Saint-Germain
On a night when the side scarcely deserved to board their bus back home with all three points, PSG ended up getting really lucky in the end.
A cross from Mbappe was adjudged to have come off Angers midfielder Pierrick Capelle's arm, although replays showed it wasn't fully clear.
🚨 Today’s controversy! 🚨
After some help from VAR, the ref decided this was a handball and a penalty for PSG.
Do you agree?🤔
#PSGSCO
https://t.co/N4ULFtBJBg
Sure, the player's arms were raised in reflex as Icardi next to him tried to head it home, but there was no blatant clip of the ball brushing off his arm.
The referee, who initially waved away penalty appeals, overturned his decision following a VAR review and gave Paris Saint-Germain a spot-kick. Mbappe did the rest.
#4 Mauro Icardi misses the chance to impress
With no Lionel Messi or Neymar in the side, Mauro Icardi was given the chance to lead the line for Paris Saint-Germain.
What should've been a night of redemption ended in a damp squib with the Argentine dropping a stinker in front of goal.
He struggled to get to the end of the crosses and was generally a fringe figure in the game. He made only 19 touches on the ball in 90 minutes and completed only nine passes.
Look at where Icardi is when Mbappe went past 4 guys 😂 https://t.co/IPwVVOWHJ9
It looked like he had also missed a great chance to win the match for his side. He fired a header straight at Angers goalkeeper from Mbappe's cross late on.
Luckily for him, it was deemed to have come off Capelle's arm that led to a match-winning penalty. That was his only notable contribution to the match for Paris Saint-Germain.
An opportunity missed.