Mbappé woke up and PSG gained a key advantage in the first leg vs Real Sociedad

Paris Saint-Germain had the challenge on Wednesday to prove that they are ready to compete at the highest level in Europe. They were facing Real Sociedad for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 at the Parc des Princes and had the objective of getting the biggest possible victory so that this advantage would give them calm to face the second match in Spain.

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It was not an easy mission for them, considering that their rivals have had a great performance so far this season: they topped Champions League Group D, leaving Inter and Benfica behind, while they are also semifinalists in the Copa del Rey and in an acceptable position in La Liga. They also have top players such as Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Takefusa Kubo.

During the first half, the visitors managed to neutralize PSG's virtues and prevent the ball from reaching Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola, the French side's talented attackers, with ease. In fact, it was Real Sociedad who had the most important chance to score, when Merino shot with his left foot and the ball hit the crossbar.

However, everything changed after the break. After 13 minutes came a corner kick from the right that Marquinhos connected with a header; the ball reached Mbappé, who was on the other side of the box, and he only had to push it in to score the opener. And with just 20 minutes left on the whistle, Bradley Barcola doubled the lead with a subtle left-footed shot that went through the legs of goalkeeper Alejandro Remiro.

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They took a step forward

The 2-0 win is a very positive result for Paris Saint-Germain. They must now travel to San Sebastian for the second leg on Tuesday, March 5. There they will have to defend that advantage against a team that their own stadium and with the support of their fans have proven to be very strong: in the group stage they did not lose any match there.