Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain played to a 0-0 draw, with Kylian Mbappe being substituted at halftime by the Ligue 1 champions.

Kylian Mbappe’s return to his former club, Monaco, ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw as he was substituted at half time. The French star struggled to make an impact in PSG’s attack, with the visitors managing just three touches in Monaco’s penalty area. This was their lowest number of touches since a match against Bordeaux eight years ago.

Monaco were the better side in the first half, with Gianluigi Donnarumma making some impressive saves to deny the likes of Takumi Minamino and Folarin Balogun. Wissam Ben Yedder came close to breaking the deadlock with a powerful volley that hit the crossbar.

Surprisingly, PSG looked more threatening in the absence of Mbappe. Vitinha forced a smart save from Radoslaw Majecki, but despite late pressure, the away team couldn’t find a winning goal.

The draw extends PSG’s unbeaten run to 19 league matches and sets a new club record of 19 consecutive away games without defeat. However, their focus now shifts to the UEFA Champions League, where they will face Real Sociedad in the second leg of the last 16 with a 2-0 aggregate lead.

Mbappe’s early substitution for the second consecutive league game will undoubtedly be a talking point. It seems that his teammates perform better without him on the pitch, which raises questions about his future at the club. PSG manager, Enrique, has emphasized the need to look towards the future when Mbappe moves to Real Madrid, and he will take positives from the performances of the younger players in recent matches.

The player of the match was Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made a series of top-class saves to secure a hard-fought point for PSG.

In terms of player ratings, Donnarumma received a 9, while Mbappe was given a 6. Monaco’s highest-rated player was Singo with an 8.

Some key moments from the match included Balogun’s early chance that was saved by Donnarumma, Minamino’s shot that was blocked by the PSG goalkeeper, and Ben Yedder’s volley that hit the crossbar.

Overall, PSG’s unbeaten run continues, but they will need to improve defensively in the Champions League if they want to progress further in the competition.