Kylian Mbappe was on target for PSG despite rumors of him wanting to leave the french giants spreading wide. The young superstar stepped up to fire a penalty home to put the visiting side in front.
The goal made Mbappe the club’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League, but his goal & the lead it gave PSG did not translate into a positive second-half performance.
Benfica defended shrewdly and grew into the contest, forcing PSG into errors as they took their foot off the gas and stopped piling on the pressure.
Victory for either side on the night would’ve been enough for them to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages after Juventus surprisingly lost to Maccabi Haifa earlier in the evening, but both teams lacked the quality to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Marco Verratti’s waning influence resulted in him clipping Rafa Silva and gifting the visitors a chance to equalize from the spot after 62 minutes, which Joao Mario did with ease.
Lionel Messi’s absence was felt, as the Argentine has been an absolute hit in his second season, and in a performance that lacked desire, magic, and overall cutting-edge quality.
Achraf Hakimi lacked his usual quality when trying to attack down the right flank and was bailed out by the offside flag after he committed a handball that could have resulted in a penalty.
It was a tiring watch on a day that had surely already been exhausting enough for PSG fans and Mbappe’s goal was simply not enough.
Drawing 1-1 for the second time in the space of a week, both of Group H’s top two settle for another single-point haul and remain locked at the summit of the standings
Benfica has still never beaten PSG, but they now move on to their penultimate group game against an ailing Juventus, beaten in Haifa earlier today. Meanwhile, Paris tackles Maccabi next – both matches are set for a fortnight’s time.
