Mbappe accepts Sarr lunge deserved red card

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe feels he deserved his red card for a lunge on Ismaila Sarr in the 3-2 Coupe de la Ligue win over Rennes.

The 19-year-old made his return to the starting line-up after missing two games with a back injury but struggled badly to make an impact, managing no shots and just 20 touches at the focal point of his side’s attack.

Mbappe’s miserable outing at Roazhon Park was compounded 63 minutes in, when he was sent off for raking studs down the calf of Sarr as he tried to launch a counter-attack.

Referee Mikael Lesage referred to VAR before deciding to show a straight red but Mbappe accepted it was the right decision.

1 – Kylian Mbappe has been sent off for the 1st time in all competitions in his club career, in his 87th game (Monaco + Paris). Sole.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) January 30, 2018

“It’s red. Today, I didn’t do my job. I didn’t play,” he said following the match.

“VAR avoids injustices. That’s a good thing. I went to see him [Sarr] and apologise.

“I wasn’t good.”

PSG were 3-0 up, courtesy of goals from Thomas Meunier, Marquinhos and Giovani Lo Celso, before Mbappe’s red card made for an uncertain final half-hour.

Diafra Sakho scored a debut goal and Sanjin Prcic fired home in injury time to make it 3-2, but Unai Emery’s side held on to reach their fifth consecutive final in the competition.

They will face the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between Monaco and Montpellier.