Toulouse played spoiler in Kylian Mbappe's final match at the Parc des Princes as a Paris Saint-Germain player with a 3-1 win on Sunday, but Mbappe still scored the game's opening goal in his farewell to his hometown club.
Mbappe started and wore the captain's armband in PSG's final home game of the season, though he was joined by a rotated lineup two weeks after the team officially won their 12th Ligue 1 title. He scored in the eighth minute after receiving the ball near the halfway line and making a run for it, but it was not enough to overcome a Toulouse side that had the better chances. They scored the equalizer in the 13th minute thanks to Thijs Dallinga and then not hit the go-ahead goal courtesy of Yann Gboho's 68th-minute strike. Frank Magri then scored in second-half stoppage time to make it 3-1.
Mbappe's farewell match came two days after he officially announced his long-anticipated departure and mostly served as a night of appreciation, with France legend and Olympics team coach Thierry Henry in attendance. The outgoing star did receive a mixed response at times, though, reflective of his seven-year spell in the French capital that ends with six Ligue 1 titles but without winning the UEFA Champions League.
Here's a look at the sights and sounds from Mbappe's farewell.
The festivities got off to an unwelcoming start when the Paris Ultras Collective booed his name when the in-stadium announcer was reading out the lineups. It reflected the love-hate relationship he has had with some of the PSG faithful but was not the overwhelming sentiment once Mbappe arrived on the pitch.
Mbappe was much more warmly received in the tunnel shortly before the game began, where he was handing out hugs and high fives. He included the mascots in his pre-match rounds and held a brief conversation with a few of them before walking out onto the pitch.
The crowd was welcoming once he finally made his way out, with chants of his name ringing around the stadium and a tifo and a banner honoring him being unveiled shortly after. The banner read "enfant de la banlieu," which translates to "kid from the suburbs," -- a reference to the Paris suburb of Bondy, where he grew up. There was no formal pre-match ceremony on behalf of PSG, though.
The man of the moment marked the occasion with a stellar goal in the eighth minute, which passed a VAR check for offside. It was his 44th goal of the season and 256th goal for PSG, extending his well-established lead atop the team's goalscoring charts. Mbappe opted to celebrate by running to the bench and embracing goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who is also leaving at the end of the season.
It was only one of a handful of shots on target PSG ultimately took on Sunday as Toulouse came from behind to win the match.
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90'+5 The Parc des Princes goes quiet as Toulouse make it 3-1, handing PSG their second Ligue 1 loss of the season in the process. The close range goal from Frank Magri is essentially the last kick of the game, offering a sour taste to Mbappe's farewell -- and that's without including the fact that PSG are about to formally celebrate their 12th Ligue 1 title post-match.
88' Mbappe has been much more involved in this second half with 34 touches, but with just two shots and none on target, his outing reflects the PSG performance as a whole. It is worth remembering, though, that this result does not matter all that much to them.
68' Toulouse have had the better of the chances all day and finally take the lead, courtesy of a curling shot from distance from Gboho. He receives the ball and makes his way to the edge of the penalty before taking the stunning strike, which could see the visitors play spoiler on a day PSG celebrates their title win -- and as Mbappe bids farewell.
60' PSG have 10 shots at the hour mark but still just one on target -- Mbappe's eighth minute strike. Toulouse also have not taken a shot on goal in the second half, but PSG seems eager to shake things up by bringing on Dembele and Mayulu for Lee and Barcola.
The broadcast cuts to Thierry Henry, the France legend and coach of the U-23 team headed to the Olympics, who is in attendance at the Parc des Princes tonight. Even without Mbappe, Henry's visit could be strictly business since Bradley Barcola is amongst those expected to be on the Olympics roster, but Henry's presence is only a reminder of the busy summer that could be ahead for Mbappe -- he's eager to play for the senior team at the Euros and be named as an overage player at the Olympics in his home town. Mbappe isn't the only one pushing for it, either: France president Emmanuel Macron said he hopes Real Madrid will allow Mbappe to play at the Paris Games in a video he posted on social media this week.
No changes for the second half, which means Mbappe and PSG's starters can still chase a win in the World Cup winner's final match for the club at home.
Things started off on a high for PSG with Mbappe's eighth minute goal, but the hosts did not notch a single shot on target since while Toulouse seemed better positioned at times to score. Mbappe himself was not terribly active with 22 touches -- second-least for PSG's on-field players -- and three shots this half, but perhaps that's to be expected from what is essentially a dead rubber game.
30' PSG may have more possession at the half-hour mark, but Toulouse have done well with the opportunities they have had so far. The visitors have seven shots and three on target to PSG's three shots and one on target, and are also winning the expected goals battle 0.58 to 0.38. That's not bad for the 11th place side, but for PSG, it's far from a reason to sound the alarm -- they're starting a rotated team after already winning the league.
13' Toulouse respond quickly with a goal of their own, scored by Dallinga from close range. It's his 19th goal of the season and could be a preview of what's to come at the Euros -- Dallinga could be part of the Netherlands team that will face Mbappe's France in the group stage.
9' Mbappe receives the ball on near the halfway line from goalkeeper Tenas and makes a dash to towards goal, eventually finishing the chance and scoring his 44th goal of the season. The play passes a VAR check for offside, allowing him to mark his farewell with an early goal and he celebrates with Kyelor Navas on the bench, who is also set to leave PSG this summer. It's his 256th goal for PSG, where he has long been the team's all-time leading goalscorer.
Mbappe's PSG farewell is officially underway, a match that the Ligue 1 champions are expected to win.
While boos rang out pre-match, a large chunk of fans are using today to share their appreciation for Mbappe, The supporters chanted his name as he walked out and unveiled a tifo in his honor, which he took time to gaze at with a huge grin on his face. This was followed by a little pre-match ceremony for PSG's 12th Ligue 1 title shortly before kickoff -- but there's no official farewell on the club's part.
Shots from the broadcast show Mbappe handing out high fives and hugs in the tunnel at the Parc des Princes, including to all of the children who are assigned to be mascots today. He also engages in a quick conversation with a group of kids before assuming his place at the front of the line as both teams walk out onto the pitch.
Despite PSG's inability to win the Champions League during his seven year spell, Mbappe seems poised to go down as arguably the team's best-ever player after a reign of domestic dominance and his steady rise up the ranks as the greatest talent of his generation. Nigel Reo-Coker also notes that Mbappe was a professional throughout and understood the responsibility of being a PSG player, while Mike Grella argues this is the perfect time for him to leave for a new challenge -- likely to be Real Madrid.
Check out the discussion below.
It appears that some of the PSG faithful did not come to the Parc des Princes with well wishes for Mbappe -- boos rang out in Paris when the stadium announcer called his name pre-match.
In his final game for PSG at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe gets the start and will captain the team. Manager Luis Enrique went with a lot of rotation otherwise, giving 17-year-old Yohan Zague the start, but a handful of big names also make the team. Here's a look at the lineup.
PSG starting XI: Tenas, Zague, Skriniar, Danilo, Mukiele, Ugarte, Soler, Lee, Asensio, Mbappe, Barcola
Mbappe made the long-awaited announcement that he would leave PSG on Friday in a video posted on social media, reflecting on his seven seasons in the French capital. Among other things, he described it as his first experience at a club with a lot of pressure and he's not wrong -- while PSG won Ligue 1 six times, their aim of winning the Champions League was always a defining feature of each season and is still something that eludes them.
The day many have anticipated has finally arrived. Kylian Mbappe is officially bidding farewell to Paris Saint-Germain after seven seasons and six Ligue 1 titles with his hometown club, and all eyes are on the Parc des Princes to see what type of reception will be in store. Stick around for team news and updates post-kickoff.
