Fans fume over 'insane' tackle on Mbappe that could 'destroy your knee & ankle'

Football fans on social media have leapt to the defence of Kylian Mbappe after he was the victim of a shocking challenge in Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 win over Brest in the French Cup.

Mbappe once again finds himself in the middle of a PSG-Real Madrid tug-of-war with the player's contract up at the end of the season, with reports suggesting a move to Spain is closer than ever.

There had been some questions over whether the French captain would receive a similarly staggering wage packet to what he earns in Paris, but it appears that the player is keen to make a move happen at long last.

He has been in typically stunning form this season, and continued with another goal in the French Cup on Wednesday night.

However, despite opening the scoring in the first half, he was scythed down in the second following a gruesome tackle that saw Lilian Brassier sent off for a second yellow.

Receiving the ball on the half turn midway up the pitch, Mbappe let it roll across his left, pivoting on his right foot, to shield it from the incoming Brassier.

Yet the Brest player was seemingly not about to let the electric Mbappe sprint away, and crunched into the PSG star's right boot.

The contact, which had all of Brassier's weight and momentum behind it, saw Mbappe's ankle turn almost entirely perpendicular to his leg, flat against the turf and twisting his knee at a horrible angle as well.

The French skipper understandably went down in a heap, but was remarkably unscathed after the initial foul, and went on to see out the rest of the game - a little over 20 minutes.

Brassier was unsurprisingly sent off for the challenge - but rather than receiving a straight red and incurring a minimum three-match ban, he was handed a second yellow, meaning he could just be out for one game.

Football fans quickly took to Reddit to voice their frustration at the challenge, with one saying: 'F*** that looks like it could destroy your knee and ankle at the same time'

A second added: 'It’s a f***ing terrible tackle. Wtf.'

One pointed to the fact it was not a straight dismissal, writing: 'It was a second yellow actually and not a straight red, which it may be the straightest red ever.'

A fourth echoed the sentiment, adding: 'That's a red if ever I've seen one, f*** me...'

And a fifth supporter hailed the French captain's reaction, saying: 'That’s insane. Should’ve been a straight red. Mbappe continued like it was nothing lol.'

It was a blow for Brest, too, with Steve Mounie only just having got them back in the game to make it 2-1 four minutes ago.

Perhaps predictably, once Brest went down to 10 there was little chance of a fightback and PSG managed to hold on to the win, Goncalo Ramos bagging a third in added time.

Mbappe had scored after just 34 minutes, rifling home at the near post from a Warren Zaire-Emery assist inside the box, before Danilo doubled the ascendancy three minutes later, tapping home at the near post from close range.

Mbappe then hit the bar with a deft chip from left to right in the 43rd minute as PSG threatened to finish the game within the first half, but Brest survived.

Mounie's 64th-minute header then made things interesting, with the visitors cutting the deficit in half and setting up a frantic finish, before Brassier's sending off dealt them a bitter blow.

Mbappe was at the heart of the action again for the third goal, driving at the penalty area before the ball find its way to Achraf Hakimi via Marco Asensio, the Moroccan putting it on a plate for Ramos to slam home the third.

PSG - who have not won the competition since 2020-21 - are now through to the last-eight, and will be hoping to end their three-year wait for the French Cup.