Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé shouldered the blame for his team’s loss to Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals, acknowledging that missed chances, including some of his own, contributed to their 2-0 aggregate defeat.
“I tried to help my team as best as I could but I didn’t do enough,” Mbappé said. “When we talk about being efficient in the boxes, I think I’m the one targeted. I’m the guy who should score goals and be decisive. When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow. That’s not a problem.”
Despite PSG’s dominance in possession and numerous shots, hitting the woodwork four times, Mbappé insisted that luck was not the issue. “I don’t like to talk about being unlucky. When you are good, it doesn’t hit the post, it goes in. Today, we were not good enough, us the attackers.”
Dortmund managed to keep Mbappé in check, with Mats Hummels scoring early in the second leg to seal PSG’s fate. Mbappé, who is rumored to be leaving PSG at the end of the season, remained tight-lipped about his future when asked about a move to Real Madrid.
PSG manager Luis Enrique expressed disappointment over the result, acknowledging Dortmund’s strong performance but lamenting his team’s inability to convert their chances. “We have six posts in total, 31 shots but we have not scored a goal. It feels impossible to believe,” he said.
Despite the loss, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi praised the team’s efforts, noting their three semifinal appearances in five years. “That’s not our objective, it’s still the final. That’s soccer, you have to accept it and sometimes it’s not fair. We’ll accept it,” he said.
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