Mbappe and Galtier lament PSG shortfallings after Benfica snatch Group H top spot

Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain did not do enough to top their Champions League group, which Benfica topped in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday.

Goals from Mbappe and Nuno Mendes at Juventus, either side of Leonardo Bonucci’s equaliser, seemed to have Christophe Galtier’s side on course to top Group H courtesy of a 2-1 triumph.

However, Benfica scored five unanswered second-half goals at Maccabi to win 6-1, the latter of which from Joao Mario in the 92nd minute snatched top spot on away goals scored.

For the first instance in Champions League history, PSG and Benfica could not be separated by their head-to-head record, goals scored or conceded, though Mbappe suggested his side should have done more.

“During the match, we did not know, but in the end they tried to warn us” the World Cup-winning forward told RMC Sport.

“But that was the end, it doesn’t matter, we qualified. We came to do the work, that’s not enough, we’ll watch the draw and we’ll play to win.”

1 – For the first time ever in UEFA Champions League, two teams have finished top of their group with the exact number of points, goals scored and goals conceded (14 points, 16 goals scored and seven conceded for both Benfica and Paris). Improbable. pic.twitter.com/CkGNx3ljFM

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 2, 2022

Galtier pinpointed PSG’s 7-2 win over Maccabi on matchday five as a warning sign and lamented the fine margins that saw his side finish second.

“When we were winning 7-2 last week, we stopped playing at the 90th minute,” he told Canal+. “We conceded too many goals during the group stage from set-pieces, as we did against Maccabi.

“If we’d conceded one goal fewer, we would have finished top of the group.”

PSG failed to top their Champions League group for a second straight season after finishing first in each of the previous four, but Galtier insisted his side have still performed well in Europe’s top competition.

“We could consider everything. We knew this possibility. Congratulations to Benfica, who scored more away goals than us,” he added.

“Afterwards, I congratulate my team and my group. We had a good group. We scored a lot of goals. That’s the history of the Champions League. This competition is sometimes irrational and we saw that.

“We had an exceptional journey. We’ve beaten Juventus twice and we were very happy until the 92nd minute.

“But if you want to go far in this competition, you have to beat big teams. Let’s wait for the draw and see who we get in the last 16.”