Kylian Mbappe has stated that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were unaware of their position in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group during their match against Juventus.
PSG beat the Italian giants 2-1 on Matchday 6 of the ongoing UCL season to finish the group stage unbeaten with 14 points. However, they were beaten by Benfica to the top spot in Group H. The Portuguese side registered a 6-1 away win over Maccabi Haifa in their last group-stage match.
The French giants registered four wins and two draws in the group, the same as Benfica. The two sides had a similar goal difference as well but the latter prevailed on the basis of more away goals scored. PSG and Benfica notably played out 1-1 draws in their two meetings, negating the head-to-head parameter.
PSG were leading the race until the very end, but Benfica scored their sixth goal against the Israeli side in injury time to overtake the Parisians. Christophe Galtier's side could now face a tough draw in the Round of 16 of the UCL.
Kylian Mbappe explained how the support staff tried to pass on the message but their match was already in its final stages. The France international told RMC Sport after the win over Juventus:
"During the match, we did not know. At the end, they tried to warn us. But that was the end. It does not matter, we are qualified. We came to do the job, that's not enough. We'll watch the draw and we'll play to win."
The former AS Monaco attacker's 13th-minute strike sent his side ahead in the match but Leonardo Bonucci equalized for Juventus six minutes before half-time. Substitute Nuno Mendes scored the winner for the Ligue 1 champions in the 69th minute.
PSG forward Kylian Mbappe becomes youngest player to score 40 UCL goals
PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe scored the 40th UCL goal of his career during his side's 2-1 win over Juventus in Turin. The first-half strike made him the youngest player to reach 40 UCL goals, overtaking his teammate Lionel Messi.
While Messi reached the landmark at the age of 24 years and 130 days, the Frenchman did so at 23 years and 317 days. Mbappe has played 59 matches in Europe's premier club competition, which includes appearances for both his current side and AS Monaco.
He also reached the top of this season's UCL goalscoring charts with the goal against Juventus. It was Kylian Mbappe's seventh strike of this season's competition, putting him level with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.