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IN FOR THE KYL

Neymar fumes at Kylian Mbappe after refusing simple pass for tap in as Frenchman chased hat-trick in PSG win

NEYMAR was left fuming at Kylian Mbappe last night after the superstar Frenchman tried to score a hat-trick instead of playing a simple pass to his teammate.

PSG had cruised into a comfortable 2-0 lead against Juventus in the Champions League as their attacking ability shone in the first half.

Mbappe closed in on goal, but likely would have seen Neymar charging into the box at the far
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Mbappe closed in on goal, but likely would have seen Neymar charging into the box at the farCredit: //twitter.com/parisdadepre/status/1567244818643910656
Neymar could hardly believe it when Mbappe opted to ignore him as he went for glory
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Neymar could hardly believe it when Mbappe opted to ignore him as he went for gloryCredit: //twitter.com/parisdadepre/status/1567244818643910656

But the Old Lady managed to drag themselves back into game in the second-half - only minutes after Mbappe blew the chance to assist an easy third goal.

The moment underlined widely reported tension between the two stars in the PSG dressing-room and once again raised the question as to whether the French club could handle the egos which make up the squad.

The moment came only minutes after half-time when Paris Saint-Germain's world-class front 3 - Lionel Messi, Neymar and Mbappe - linked up again.

Messi had broke into Juve's half on the counter-attack and played in Mbappe who charged into the box.

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The 23-year-old closed in on goal from a tight angle with Neymar arriving free at the far post.

Instead of slotting a simple pass to his teammate to inevitably score, Mbappe instead chose to go for goal from a difficult angle and lashed his shot against the side-netting.

A visibly furious Neymar demanded an explanation, but Mbappe appeared to not even acknowledge his protests.

The ex-Monaco forward had been chasing a hat-trick having scored two stunning goals earlier in the game.

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His decision to go for glory and not pass to his teammate was possibly a telling moment in the strained relationship between Neymar and Mbappe.

Several reports have indicated a frostiness between the pair in the latest chapter of player power dominating PSG.

In a pre-match press conference before the Juventus game, Mbappe even admitted their friendship was far from smooth.

He said: "This is the sixth year with Neymar. We have always had a relationship like this, based on respect, but sometimes with warmer and colder moments.

"It is the nature of our relationship. I have a lot of respect for the player that he is.

"When you have two players with such a strong character, you have moments like that, but always with respect and in the interest of PSG."

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