Kylian Mbappe Brace Lifts Monaco to 3-2 First-Leg Win vs. Borussia Dortmund

AS Monaco snatched the advantage in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday after Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace to sink Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park in the rescheduled first segment of their two-legged affair.

Fabinho missed an early penalty for the travelling outfit before Mbappe made up for the error soon after, and makeshift centre-back Sven Bender scored an own goal to put the guests into a 2-0 lead.

Dortmund hit back in the second half through Ousmane Dembele, and though Mbappe broke free late to net a third for the French titans, Shinji Kagawa's 85th-minute goal rescued some hope for the German quarter-finalists.

Wednesday's meeting—originally meant to be played on Tuesday—was postponed after Borussia Dortmund's team bus was hit by one of three small explosions, per BBC News. Defender Marc Bartra was absent on Wednesday due to a hand injury suffered in that incident, meaning midfielder Bender deputised in defence.

Although it took a while to find its flow, Wednesday's delayed meeting eventually developed into a fast-paced festivity of the highest order, per ESPN's Musa Okwonga:

Two teams that operate largely on the strength of their attacks collided in North Rhine-Westphalia, and it was the German hosts who opened the match looking more likely to open the scoring.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was busy in his attempts to find space amid the Monaco defence, but their lack of a clinical touch meant a surprise break from the visitors put Dortmund under unwelcome pressure after 15 minutes.

It was then that Mbappe's run on to a lofted ball over the top bamboozled Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who was adjudged to have bundled the Monaco hitman down, and there wasn't much room for argument on the decision.

The Brazilian is usually a sure thing from 12 yards, but a pull to the goal's left saw Fabinho mark an undesirable career first, per Squawka: 

Fortunately for him, manager Leonardo Jardim has a myriad of avenues through which his team can score, and the predatory Mbappe was on hand to convert from a Thomas Lemar cross just minutes later.

Bernardo Silva's driving run through Dortmund's midfield opened space for Lemar on the edge of the enemy's box, and although Mbappe was on hand at the back post to convert, Ligue 1 Show presenter Matt Spiro noted the goal wasn't without its controversy:

Dortmund settled in the exchanges after conceding and built some pressure in the opposing half, but Monaco's attack once again proved itself the more dangerous after forcing Bender into a 35th-minute own goal.

Matthias Ginter—playing in a right wing-back role—left Andrea Raggi free down his flank, and the Italian's cross was headed into the Dortmund goal by Bender. Despite suggestions Radamel Falcao clipped him before the goal, the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani wasn't buying Bender's calls for a foul in the buildup:

Black and Yellows managers Thomas Tuchel knew at the interval that his side had their work cut out for them on a tough night on home turf, and his half-time words appeared to take effect as Dortmund came out firing in the second half.

Nuri Sahin and Christian Pulisic came on in place of defenders Bender and Marcel Schmelzer at the break, and those changes had a rejuvenating impact on the home team's attack, which quickly looked more threatening across the board. 

A series of Dortmund corners eventually led to more pressure in the Monaco area, and Raphael Guerreiro's cross into the box found Kagawa one-on-one with 'keeper Danijel Subasic before selflessly teeing up Dembele to tap in. 

ESPN's James Tyler highlighted the home side's much-improved outlook after returning from a first half they'd undoubtedly rather have forgotten:

Falcao had his chance to reclaim a two-goal lead with 15 minutes remaining, when he rounded Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki before spraying wide of an open goal, a chance he might have come to regret with Monaco's chances waning.

But Mbappe's killer finishing again made up for a team-mate's mistake when Lukasz Piszczek's misplaced pass in defence gifted the Frenchman a run through on goal. He slotted into Burki's top-right corner with apparent ease and in the process became the youngest player to score a brace in the Champions League knockout stages, via BT Sport:

Again, Monaco's two-goal cushion was only temporary, however, as Kagawa was in the right place at the right time to cut the visitors back down to size with his short-range effort.

The Japan international showed great composure in front of Subasic's goal, tucking the ball into his feet before converting inside the far post to add another goal contribution to his performance:

Dortmund might count themselves unlucky not to have found a much-desired equaliser in the dying embers of the fixture after ending in the ascendancy, but one could argue Monaco were worthy of their win.

Monaco's place atop Ligue 1's summit will come under fire when they play host to relegation-threatened Dijon on Saturday, a fixture that may hand Jardim a chance to rest some key faces if he sees fit.

Meanwhile, Dortmund will hope they can respond quickly to their recent 4-1 defeat at Bayern Munich when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Westfalenstadion on Saturday, where a win could move the Black and Yellows up to third in the Bundesliga.

These two teams will then reconvene for their second-leg meeting next Wednesday, where Dortmund are under immense pressure to prove their credentials at the Stade Louis II.

Post-Match Reaction

NORBERT SCHMIDT/Getty Images

Dortmund chief Tuchel was humble in defeat after seeing his side fall behind following the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, but he made some startling revelations regarding the replay in his post-match comments. 

Per Bleacher Report's Lars Pollmann, Tuchel said Dortmund were never consulted on when the replayed fixture would take place, and UEFA informed them of the decision in a rather impersonal manner:

Pollmann provided more quotes from Tuchel, who added his team "wished for more time not only to process things but also to be able to play in our best form."

The Black and Yellows boss also illustrated just how badly he felt his club had been treated after the debacle, per BT Sport commentator Derek Rae:

It goes without saying that Tuesday's explosions made the quarter-final fixture a very special case, but UEFA's decision risks setting a poor precedent for teams affected by matters so far out of their control.

Dortmund's Champions League hopes now hang by a thread, and they'll require an almighty fightback at the Stade Louis II next Wednesday if they're to have any hope of landing a place in the semi-finals.