PSG vs Real Sociedad – LIVE!
Kylian Mbappe was on target as PSG battled to a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Champions League. The last-16 tie is now in their control, ahead of the second leg in Spain next month, despite Sociedad arguably being the better side until Mbappe turned home from close range just before the hour mark after Marquinhos flicked on a corner.
PSG have been knocked out of the competition at this stage in five of the last seven seasons, as their wait for a first Champions League title goes on, and there was little to be impressed by with their start to the match. Mbappe wasted a big early opportunity, after being played clean through by Ousmane Dembele, but Sociedad’s energy caused the hosts real problems. Take Kubo was a constant threat down the right, dragging a shot just wide, while Mikel Merino smacked an effort against the bar from distance late in the half.
The question was whether Sociedad could keep up their high press and the relentless intensity; the answer was no. Mbappe was naturally the man to open the scoring, drifting into the perfect position to leave himself a simple finish. And the match turned from that moment onwards, PSG suddenly dominant in midfield and the energy seemingly sapped from the Sociedad legs. It was no surprise then when the lead was doubled, Bradley Barcola skipping past Hamari Traore and poking a composed finish through the legs of goalkeeper Alex Remiro for his first Champions League goal.
PSG vs Real Sociedad latest news
GOAL! Barcola doubles advantage
GOAL! Mbappe gives PSG lead from close-range
OFF THE BAR! Merino goes close before half-time
How to watch: TNT Sports 2
FT: PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:53 , Matt Verri
That’ll do it in Paris.
PSG will take a two-goal lead to Spain for the second leg next month, an outcome Luis Enrique would have taken in a heartbeat at half-time.
Not a hugely convincing performance, but job done. Kylian Mbappe’s goal on the hour mark proved to be the turning point.
(AFP via Getty Images)
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:49 , Matt Verri
90 mins: Four minutes added on.
Sociedad still trying to press high, but they’re not quite closing the distance as they were early in the match.
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:46 , Matt Verri
87 mins: Sociedad really, really need the full-time whistle.
Kolo Muani into the box, onto his right foot and drags a shot back towards the near post. Can’t hit the target.
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:42 , Matt Verri
83 mins: Kolo Muani on for PSG, replacing Dembele for the final ten minutes or so.
Mbappe is away again, opts not to square it for Kolo Muani. Twists, turns, wins a corner.
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:39 , Matt Verri
81 mins: PSG keeping the ball really well now, they know they are in charge of this tie.
Sociedad looking like going five matches on the bounce without a goal.
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:35 , Matt Verri
76 mins: Sociedad corner and it’s chaos in the PSG box as the ball bounces around, three La Real players swing at thin air.
PSG have the chance to break, Dembele completely free, but Galan does brilliantly to halt the counter.
PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad
21:32 , Matt Verri
73 mins: Sociedad are being completely overrun in midfield now, they’ve completely fallen away.
So much energy in the first-half, but they haven’t been able to maintain it. PSG will be eyeing a third goal.
GOAL! PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad | Bradley Barcola 70′
21:29 , Matt Verri
BIG GOAL!
Barcola doubles the lead, PSG taking control of this tie.
Lovely move from the hosts, Dembele with a great pass as it’s worked out to Barcola on the left.
Skips past Traore, and slides a finish past Remiro as the goalkeeper charges off his line.
PSG 1-0 Real Sociedad
21:27 , Matt Verri
68 mins: Mbappe shooting on sight now.
Cuts in off the left wing, looks to curl an effort into the far corner. Always comfortably over the bar.
PSG 1-0 Real Sociedad
21:25 , Matt Verri
66 mins: Sociedad have lost their intensity a bit since that goal, it’s deflated them.
Need to try and hang on in these final 25 minutes or so, keep themselves in the tie.
PSG 1-0 Real Sociedad
21:22 , Matt Verri
63 mins: Mbappe nearly has his second!
Edge of the box, goes for maximum power and it flicks off the top of the bar. Goalkeeper got a touch actually, great save from Remiro.
PSG 1-0 Real Sociedad
21:18 , Matt Verri
60 mins: How brave do Real Sociedad want to be in pushing for an equaliser? A 1-0 deficit heading to Spain wouldn’t be a disaster.
PSG, though, have suddenly come alive. Hakimi gets in behind, cut-back is cleared away for a corner.
Dembele swings it in, Mbappe down at the back post. Appeals are waved away.
GOAL! PSG 1-0 Real Sociedad | Kylian Mbappe 58′
21:16 , Matt Verri
PSG LEAD!
And who else?
Corner is flicked on by Marquinhos, and Mbappe is there at the back post to bundle it home from close range.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
21:14 , Matt Verri
56 mins: Traore gets caught in his own area trying to dribble out, Barcola robs him. Heavy touch, but he wins a corner for the hosts.
Decent delivery in, Merino is up in his own six-yard box to clear. Comes back to Mbappe, shot from a tight angle is deflected behind.
That was the shot of a man who is getting fed up.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
21:12 , Matt Verri
54 mins: Third corner of the half already for Sociedad.
They go short once more, before a cute pass is played down the side towards Kubo. Not sure even he was expecting it, PSG clear.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
21:08 , Matt Verri
50 mins: Better from the hosts.
Hakimi gets forward on the right, picks out Mbappe with the cut-back and his shot is blocked, taking all the pace out of it. More like it though from PSG.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
21:07 , Matt Verri
48 mins: PSG continue to give the ball away cheaply. No real sign of an improvement early in the half.
Mbappe looks more dangerous when he’s out on the left, another sharp break is only halted by a desperate lunge from Mendez.
Back underway!
21:03 , Matt Verri
Up and running in the second-half!
First-half stats
20:56 , Matt Verri
For all the space that has been on offer for both sides, we’ve only had one shot on target.
That came early on, when Mbappe went clean through and had a pretty tame effort saved.
Four shots for each team so far – that was the only one to trouble either goalkeeper.
(REUTERS)
As close as anyone has come…
20:51 , Matt Verri
Merino inches away from giving Sociedad the lead in spectacular fashion!
HT: PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:48 , Matt Verri
Mbappe shakes his head as he trudges off for half-time.
Sociedad certainly the better side in the opening 45 minutes, even if they have nothing to show for it.
PSG need to improve. A lot.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:47 , Matt Verri
45 mins: Off the bar!
Wow. Merino hammers an effort at goal from distance, flicks off the top of the woodwork. Brilliant effort.
One minute added on.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:43 , Matt Verri
42 mins: Kubo again providing the threat, fires the ball across the face of goal. Great defending from Danilo, clears the ball away with three Sociedad players lurking behind him.
PSG hanging on a bit towards the end of the half.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:42 , Matt Verri
40 mins: Brilliant turn from Kubo out on the left, Beraldo completely beaten. Looks to play the ball into the middle, cleared behind for a corner.
He takes it himself, Donnarumma off his line to punch it out.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:38 , Matt Verri
36 mins: Le Normand earns himself a yellow card. Doesn’t bother to complain about that, having very cynically brought Dembele down.
The Frenchman was charging straight through the middle of the Sociedad side.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:36 , Matt Verri
35 mins: Corner headed out to Hakimi, his strike from the edge of the box takes a big deflection.
Falls nicely for Barcola, but he can’t keep his header down and it loops over the bar.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:35 , Matt Verri
33 mins: Mbappe drifts out wide in an attempt to get on the ball, and duly skips away from Traore.
Can’t beat Le Normand though, has to settle for a corner. Immediately more threat when Mbappe gets anywhere near the ball, unsurprisingly.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:31 , Matt Verri
29 mins: Ball swung out to Barrene on the left, lets it straight under his boot.
Can’t imagine Enrique is particularly pleased with what he’s seen from his side. Sociedad much the better team at the moment, without creating much in the way of clear-cut chances.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:28 , Matt Verri
26 mins: Dembele goes in late on Galan, and then boots the ball away as the whistle goes for a free-kick.
He has done outrageously well to avoid a yellow card there.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:26 , Matt Verri
25 mins: Hakimi plays a ball over the top, Dembele is clean through for PSG.
Flag stays down, Dembele on his right foot hammers a shot into the side-netting.
He was well offside, linesman could have saved us all the trouble.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:22 , Matt Verri
21 mins: Comes straight in from Mendez this time, headed out.
PSG have looked dangerous on the counter, when winning the ball back high up the pitch, but apart from that it’s been pretty poor.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:22 , Matt Verri
20 mins: Yellow card for Beraldo, caught Barrene with a swinging arm as they challenged in the air. Feels a bit harsh.
Another chance for the Sociedad defenders to come up.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:20 , Matt Verri
18 mins: Kubo cuts inside off the right wing, too easy as he drifts into the box.
Allowed space for the shot too, tries to reverse it into the near post but he drags it just wide. Decent effort.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:17 , Matt Verri
15 mins: Free-kick in a good position for Sociedad, after good work from Kubo out wide.
And they should score! Clever routine, after faking to take it about four times.
Clipped to the back post, Mendez plays it across the face of goal and it’s somehow cleared in the six-yard box.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:14 , Matt Verri
12 mins: Pace of the match has just slowed down a bit.
Sociedad win it here though, they are away down the left but it’s intercepted and Hakimi leads the charge.
That is until Ruiz gives it away under no pressure.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:09 , Matt Verri
8 mins: Sociedad really playing with fire at the moment.
Again the ball is lost in their own half, Dembele would have been in had it been a better pass. So much space on offer for both sides.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:08 , Matt Verri
7 mins: Big save!
Mbappe should put PSG in front. Ball won high up the pitch, Dembele plays Mbappe clean through on goal.
Nobody going to catch him, tries to find the far corner but Remiro denies him. Got down well.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:07 , Matt Verri
5 mins: Ball falls for Ruiz, best part of 30 yards out. Goes for goal first time, miles over the bar. Dare say he won’t try that again.
Frantic pace to the match in the early stages, with Sociedad pressing so high.
PSG 0-0 Real Sociedad
20:04 , Matt Verri
3 mins: Great start from La Real, straight on the front foot.
They’re pressing high up the pitch, PSG getting themselves into trouble. Silva has a shot from just outside the area, flies wide. Not far away at all.
Visitors look full of confidence.
KICK-OFF!
20:02 , Matt Verri
We’re up and running!
Here we go…
19:55 , Matt Verri
Players are in the tunnel at the Parc des Princes.
We have the usual light show, that is of course essential for some reason on any relatively important night.
Time to find out if a few lights can inspire PSG.
(REUTERS)
Not long now!
19:48 , Matt Verri
Kick-off is almost upon us.
Real Sociedad are in the Champions League for the first time in a decade, it’s a huge night for them.
Aim will just be to stay in the tie, heading to Spain for the second leg.
Sociedad ‘not afraid of anyone’
19:39 , Matt Verri
Brais Mendez starts for Real Sociedad tonight in Paris.
In a recent interview, the 27-year-old made it clear that Sociedad fear no-one as they eye a deep Champions League.
“It might sound crazy, but we’re not afraid of anyone,” Mendez told The Athletic.
“We’ve shown that we can compete and beat anyone, we’re 100 per cent confident in ourselves. We got PSG? Well, let’s go for PSG. If it had been Bayern Munich? The same thing.”
Enrique: Sociedad one of the best teams in Europe
19:33 , Matt Verri
PSG certainly the favourites to win this tie and make it through to the quarter-finals, but Luis Enrique has been full of praise for Real Sociedad in the build-up to tonight’s match.
The PSG boss said: “Real Sociedad have a tight defence in the Champions League. They don’t give the ball away easily. We will have to press them aggressively.
“They are certainly one of the best teams in the competition. That is why they qualified as group winners.
“They were in a group with last year’s finalists. They are top level and I’m not going to get into whether we are favourites or not. My team has to show that on the pitch. That is where we do the talking.”
(AFP via Getty Images)
Atmosphere building…
19:26 , Matt Verri
Sociedad fans are inside the Parc des Princes nice and early!
Just over 30 minutes to go until kick-off and they are making all the noise.
PSG in strong form
19:17 , Matt Verri
PSG are now on a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Impressive form, and it has seen them charge clear at the top of Ligue 1 – they now have an 11-point cushion.
It is the Champions League that will define their season, though. This is the competition that matters above all others to them.
(PA)
Mbappe starts!
19:07 , Matt Verri
As expected, Mbappe is indeed fit to start and he’s the main man up front for PSG tonight.
Donnarumma, Hakimi and Beraldo all back in the starting lineup, with Asensio and Ramos among those on the bench.
Big news for Sociedad is that Oyarzabal misses out on the squad completely. Significant blow for the visitors that he hasn’t recovered from injury.
PSG team news
19:01 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Danilo, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Emery, Fabian, Vitinha, Dembele, Mbappe, Barcola.
Subs: Navas, Ugarte, Ramos, Asensio, Hernandez, Muani, Mukiele, Soler, Mbappe, Mayulu, Tenas
Real Sociedad team news
18:58 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Remiro, Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Galan, Zubimendi, Merino, Brais, Barrene, Kubo, Silva
Subs: Marrero, Fraga, Zakharyan, De Zarate, Olasagasti, Sadiq, Pacheco, Turrientes, Magunazelaia, Marin, Aramburu
In the building!
18:53 , Matt Verri
Sociedad have arrived at the stadium – team news coming up in the next five minutes or so.
Enrique not thinking about Mbappe future
18:49 , Matt Verri
Kylian Mbappe’s future at PSG remains up in the air.
It looks increasingly likely that he will leave in the summer, when his contract expires, and join Real Madrid on a free transfer.
That means tonight could be his final Champions League game on home soil for PSG, even if Luis Enrique refused to engage when that was put to him at a press conference.
“Potential (last game)? No,” the PSG boss replied. “That is not how I feel about it.”
(AFP via Getty Images)
Sociedad top their group
18:38 , Matt Verri
Real Sociedad have been pretty unfortunate to draw PSG, having finished top of Group D.
The Spanish side edged out Inter Milan on goal difference, but they will not feel they have been particularly rewarded.
Sociedad are yet to taste defeat in the Champions League this season.
(Getty Images)
Tierney loving life in Spain
18:28 , Matt Verri
Kieran Tierney says he is unsure what the future holds for him at Arsenal.
Tierney is currently on loan at Real Sociedad for the season and is “absolutely loving it” at the Spanish club, though will miss tonight’s match due to injury.
The loan will expire at the end of the season and it is understood to not contain an option-to-buy clause.
But asked if his future leads back to Arsenal, the 26-year-old said: “It’s hard to say. I loved my time there and I still have two years on the contract. I am very grateful to Arsenal. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I am absolutely loving it here.
“I feel I have adapted quite well and I hope I can return the faith the club have shown. This is a very, very talented squad with world-class players and so many have come from the academy. It’s an amazing story.”
Read his full quotes here!
(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Sociedad on the move!
18:19 , Matt Verri
The visitors are on their way to the Parc des Princes…
PSG just about make it through
18:11 , Matt Verri
It was far from convincing from PSG as they booked their place in the last-16 before Christmas.
They finished second in Group F, behind Borussia Dortmund and ahead of AC Milan on goal difference only.
A very fortunate 98th-minute penalty from Kylian Mbappe against Newcastle, in the penultimate group-stage match, proved the difference in the end.
(REUTERS)
Stage is set!
18:04 , Matt Verri
It’s a perfect night in Paris…
Standard Sport prediction
17:58 , Matt Verri
Perennial European underachievers PSG do not have an excuse not to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in three years. Arguably stronger than Sociedad in every position, a healthy first-leg win could even more the return leg next month a dead rubber.
PSG need to turn up to do so, of course, but have been building momentum and have not tasted defeat in any competition since November. That confidence will be key, especially against a Sociedad side without a win in four.
PSG to win, 2-0.
Real Sociedad team news
17:52 , Matt Verri
Sociedad head to France on a run of 384 minutes without scoring a goal.
Mikel Oyarzabal is a major doubt to reinvigorate the attack after suffering a muscle injury earlier this month.
Hamari Traore, Robin Le Normand, Brais Mendez and Ander Barrenetxea were all rested for the weekend defeat at home to Osasuna, and should return here as La Real consider shuffling their pack.
Arsenal loanee Kieran Tierney leads their list of absentees.
Predicted Real Sociedad XI: Remiro; Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Galan; Mendez, Zubimendi, Merino; Kubo, Umar, Barrenetxea
(Getty Images)
PSG team news
17:44 , Matt Verri
Paris Saint-Germain are confident Kylian Mbappe will be ready for tonight’s Champions League clash.
The French forward was left on the bench as PSG beat Lille on Saturday despite pre-game assertions that he was fit to play.
But coach Luis Enrique has insisted that Mbappe was available, even if he was ultimately not risked as Les Parisiens came from behind to win in Ligue 1.
“Kylian is fine, but we didn’t want to take any risks,” he told reporters. “If it was a final, he would have played, but he will be 100 per cent ready on Wednesday.”
Predicted PSG XI: Donnarumma; Beraldo, Danilo, Hernandez, Hakimi; Ugarte, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery; Dembele, Mbappe, Barcola
(REUTERS)
How to watch PSG vs Real Sociedad
17:37 , Matt Verri
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us!
Good evening!
17:31 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of PSG vs Real Sociedad!
The Champions League has reached the knockout stages, and it’s the first leg of this last-16 tie tonight.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 8pm GMT from the Parc des Princes.
(REUTERS)
