Mbappe was pivotal to PSG’s victory and cannot be replaced.

PARIS — PSG has spent millions over the previous couple of seasons and seen a number of superstars come and go, but one thing has remained the same: when in form, Kylian Mbappé can single-handedly swing the momentum of a match.

After a disappointing 4-1 loss to Newcastle United in their previous Champions League outing, PSG reminded everyone on Wednesday that they are still a force to be reckoned with by routing AC Milan 3-0 in Group F behind the play of young French stars Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, and especially Warren Zaire-Emery.

And Mbappe, once again, was the main focus and source of frustration for AC Milan. His performance in the first half was so worrying for the Serie A team that they started warming up Davide Calabria as soon as the players entered the locker room at halftime. If Plan A doesn’t work to thwart Mbappe, then quickly switch to Plan B.

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Despite AC Milan having the third-most shots in the Champions League through two games, PSG entered the contest with three points from their first two games. This group is quite tight, therefore the outcome of Wednesday’s encounter between Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund at St. James’ Park might have a significant impact on the rest of the competition.

It was one of those nights at the Parc des Princes when you knew AC Milan needed a massive performance to quiet the rowdy fans.
Behind both goals, two tifos could be seen through the smoke of the pregame fireworks display. At the Auteuil end, the late French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo was spotted cheering on his beloved PSG.

There was a statue of him at one end of the stadium as Josselin Beaumont, the secret agent he played in “The Professional,” and a statue of the “AC Milan devil” at the other end. This was the slogan: “J’Les ai dans le viseur comme Belmondo.” Like Belmondo, I’ve got them in my sights.

PSG leading scorer

After 21 minutes, PSG’s leading scorer Mbappe fired straight at Milan’s custodian Mike Maignan for the game’s first shot on goal. In the 29th minute, he got another look at the goal after cutting in from the left flank and firing a quick shot across the face of the net. However, in the 32nd minute, after fine-tuning his radar for the third time, he scored the game-winning goal for PSG.

The initiative to change was spearheaded by Zaire-Emery. He is comfortable commanding play from the back, making a darting run through the middle of the field, or taking the reins in attack thanks to his versatility as a No. 6, No. 8, or No. 10 player.

Mbappe’s first goal was set up by a combination of these, with a quick pass through the middle finding Mbappe on the left. He took aim at Milan’s Fikayo Tomori, drew him into a tight circle, and then blasted a shot past Maignan into the near corner of the net. The tone was authoritative and coldly clinical.

The only person in the Parc des Princes to physically touch Mbappe was an intruder who made on onto the pitch during halftime in order to give the superstar a hug.

Although Calabria was less reckless than his counterparts in the first half, his interference in an attempt to halt Mbappe resulted to PSG’s second goal. Dembele’s wonderful shimmy and finish on the right was rejected for a foul by Manuel Ugarte on Milan player Yunus Musah in the buildup, making this PSG’s second brilliant goal denied in the first half.

Five minutes later, the Parisians’ pressure began to bear fruit. In the 53rd minute, Muani scored on a tap-in after Dembele’s attempt from a corner was parried into his path.

In the 81st minute, Mbappe’s effort across goal was pushed into the post by Maignan after a sweeping move left him unmarked. In the 89th minute, Zaire-Emery created some room on the right and fed Kang-In Lee, who finished expertly past Maignan to give PSG the 3-0 lead they deserved.
Of course AC Milan had their moments. At one point in the first half, Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leo formed a lovely pincer movement on the PSG defence, with Pulisic’s runs off the right side creating some trouble for Theo Hernández and Leo putting one decent effort narrowly wide.

Second-half chances came and went for Pulisic, who in his first match against his former side hit a well-struck effort straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma and had a chance to set up Olivier Giroud in the 49th minute but overhit the pass, resulting in Giroud’s scrambling shot going wide.

The crowd on the Auteuil side of the stadium took this opportunity to set off their most recent fireworks display, filling the stadium with a cloud of red and blue smoke. And AC Milan couldn’t break through it, even with Donnarumma having a few scares in goal.