This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe made a statement in the Champions League on Wednesday, scoring a hat trick in a 5-0 demolition of Club Brugge.
After being left out of the starting lineup, Mbappe came on in the 52nd minute and delivered a virtuoso performance, helping the French champions move to the cusp of qualification for the next stage.
PSG were leading 1-0 at half-time, thanks to Mauro Icardi's early goal, but they struggled to assert themselves until Mbappe came on.
"It's true that I wanted to start, I thought I was going to start. But the coach had made his choice and you have to accept that," Mbappe said in a post-match interview.
Coach Thomas Tuchel had warned before the match that Mbappe would not play for the entire 90 minutes due to a hamstring injury, but the 20-year-old's performance showed that he was eager to prove his worth to the team.
"I wanted to show that it's hard to do without me. I want to fight to keep my place and help the team," Mbappe added.
PSG will meet Brugge again in their next Champions League game, hosting them on November 6.
