In his last home game, Kylian Mbappe bids PSG fans farewell with a defeat

On Sunday, in his last home game as a Paris Saint-Germain player, Kylian Mbappe scored, but the French champions were unexpectedly defeated 3-1 by Toulouse on the evening they were awarded the Ligue 1 title trophy.

In a video that was shared on social media on Friday, Mbappe declared that he would be departing PSG at the conclusion of the season, capping a seven-year tenure with the team.

After informing the club in private that he intended to move on in February, the player’s exit from Paris had been well known. Real Madrid is anticipated to be his next stop.

Wearing the captain’s armband, Mbappe scored the first goal of the match against Toulouse, bringing his season total to 44 goals across all competitions.

Though Mbappe was the only player to remain in the starting lineup, PSG made ten changes from the squad that lost to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals midweek, and Thijs Dallinga swiftly equalized for the visitors.

Toulouse won the match thanks to a spectacular goal by Yann Gboho in the second half, and Frank Magri’s late goal sealed the victory. PSG’s defeat was just their second in Ligue 1 this year and their first in 27 games since September.

With his 2017 transfer from Monaco, Mbappe has now scored 256 goals for PSG, a club record. The move was for 180 million euros ($194 million).

Seventh on the all-time list are his 191 goals in the top division of France, including 16 with Monaco early in his career. The 25-year-old is “a club legend,” according to coach Luis Enrique, who made this statement to the media the night before the game.

PSG had made it clear that the celebrations after Sunday’s game would honor their championship victory rather than pay particular homage to Mbappe.

Even when the squads were announced before kickoff, the fans jeered at the striker. However, a massive display showing Mbappe in his signature posture with his arms folded was unveiled at one end of the stadium prior to kickoff.

Luis Enrique called the banner “beautiful” and said, “I heard applause; the supporters paid him a deserved tribute; he is a club legend despite his youth.”

The club controlled by Qatar had just secured its record-breaking 12th French championship, its 10th in 12 years, when they took on Toulouse, a team that was also safe from any potential relegation.

Due to PSG’s Champions League setback, Mbappe will be leaving the team without ever winning the biggest title in European sports.

PSG finished second in 2020 because to Mbappe, and they have since advanced to the semifinals twice more. However, the captain of France will now want to win the championship at his next team.

PSG still has a chance to end the season with a perfect sweep of domestic titles when they play Lyon in the French Cup final on May 25 in Lyon.

They have previously won the Champions Trophy, which is France’s version of the Super Cup, in addition to Ligue 1.

Monaco advance to the Champions League

The club captained by Luis Enrique will play its last league game on Sunday at Metz after visiting Nice on Wednesday.

In other news, Monaco, Mbappe’s first club, defeated Montpellier 2-0 on the road to secure second place and automatic qualifying for the Champions League the next season.

Lille’s 2-1 victory against Nantes saw Jonathan David score twice, sending them into third place on goal differential, ahead of Brest.

The teams that finish fourth in Ligue 1 go to the competition’s preliminary stages, while the top three teams advance straight to the 36-team Champions League, which will be increased for the following season.

Nice, who are now in fifth position and four points behind both Lille and Brest, may still finish in the top four before visiting PSG in the middle of the week.

Orel Mangala’s goal kept Lyon’s chances of qualifying for Europe alive as Lyon defeated Clermont 1-0, while Lens drew 1-1 at Rennes to maintain sixth place.

Emerick Pierre Marseille defeated Lorient 3-1 to keep themselves in the European race thanks to two goals from Aubameyang.

With one game remaining and a three-point deficit to Metz, Lorient’s chances of staying in the basement division are slim, as is the case with Clermont, who were demoted due to their loss.

After losing 2-1 against Strasbourg, Metz will now face a club from Ligue 2 in a play-off where a spot in the top division for the next season is at stake.