A stunning stoppage-time solo effort from Kylian Mbappe has given Paris Saint-Germain a narrow 1-0 lead over Real Madrid at the halfway stage of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The first leg at the Parc des Princes looked set to end goalless until Mbappe sparked into life late on, bursting through two defenders before slotting his finish underneath Thibaut Courtois with aplomb.
Lionel Messi had earlier missed a penalty against his old Clasico rivals, but Mbappe spared his teammate's blushes against the team he has been heavily tipped to join this summer.
The hosts saw the lion's share of possession throughout and also created the best chances during the star-studded contest, but it looked as though they would be frustrated by a stubborn Madrid defensive performance.
Messi was guilty of squandering the best of those chances as he saw his penalty saved by Courtois after Mbappe had been brought down shortly after the hour mark.
© Reuters
Mbappe himself tested Courtois on more than one occasion before his headline-grabbing winner, while Angel Di Maria had also blazed an early opening well over the crossbar when he should have done better.
Real Madrid offered little threat going in the opposite direction and were ultimately made to pay for their lack of ambition as they were stung late on.
Los Blancos will now look to overturn that 1-0 deficit when the two sides meet in the reverse fixture at the Bernabeu in March.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the key events from the match in Paris.
Match highlights and key events
5th min: Angel Di Maria blazes over from inside the Madrid area after Mbappe had skipped past Dani Carvajal.
18th min: Mbappe gets the wrong side of Carvajal and manages to dig out a shot, but Courtois is out quickly to smother him.
37th min: Casemiro picks up a booking for grabbing the throat of Leandro Paredes, ruling him out of the second leg through suspension.
50th min: Mbappe drills a powerful low snapshot towards goal which Courtois does well to get down to and push away.
61st min: Referee Daniele Orsato points to the spot after Carvajal brought down Mbappe inside the area.
62nd min: Messi steps up to take the penalty, but sees his effort saved by Courtois.
Lionel Messi 🆚 Thibaut Courtois from 12 yards...
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 15, 2022
The big Belgian comes out on top!
This could be a huge moment in the tie.#UCL pic.twitter.com/8i4GZAZxqK
72nd min: Neymar makes his long-awaited return from injury, replacing Di Maria.
Guess who's back? 👀
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 15, 2022
Neymar makes his first appearance since November and the fans in Paris are glad to see him on the pitch again!#UCL pic.twitter.com/bdWaIsQzgG
94th min: Neymar backheels the ball to Mbappe, who collects it on the left flank before powering through two defenders and sliding his finish under Courtois for the win.
Just when it looked like we were set for a 0-0 draw, up pops Kylian Mbappe with a bit of absolute magic 😍
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 15, 2022
Big player. Big moment. Advantage PSG.#UCL pic.twitter.com/lqBjnAEPMJ
Barney Corkhill
