Van Dijk praised for shutting door on Kylian Mbappe

When PSG’s Kylian Mbappe found himself one-on-one with an opposition centre-back during France’s international clash with the Netherlands in Paris last night, he may have imagined his name up in lights imminently.

No doubt the young striker, hailed by many as one of the best attackers in world football at 19 years old, has left countless defenders for dead in recent times with his blistering pace.

Not so with Virgil van Dijk.

The towering Liverpool centre-back found himself isolated against Mbappe in the closing stages of the game in a situation that would have left any defender quaking in their boots.

However, as the World Cup-winning French forward attempted to sprint past, Van Dijk tracked his run and stood his ground for as long as possible before executing an inch-perfect tackle to deny PSG’s wonderkid a certain shot on goal.

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 07: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool and Torino at Anfield on August 7, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

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The sort of composure and intelligence displayed by van Dijk bodes well for Liverpool when they host PSG at Anfield in their opening Champions League clash of the season in just over a week’s time on September 18, when he and his teammates will find themselves up against Mbappe, Neymar and Edison Cavani, to name a few.

PSG will not be without problems of their own, however, as they attempt to subdue Liverpool’s record-breaking trio Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, who between them tore opposition defences apart in last season’s European competition.

France went on to win the game against the Netherlands 2-1 from an Olivier Giroud winner after former Liverpool man Ryan Babel (sporting pink hair) cancelled out Mbappe’s early opener, as reported in the Echo.

Pundits and fans alike have singled out Van Dijk as the primary reason for Liverpool’s upturn in fortune at the back since the start of 2018; the big Dutchman has continued his fine form this season with a string of commanding performances for the Reds.

The post Van Dijk praised for shutting door on Kylian Mbappe appeared first on AnfieldHQ.

Source: anfieldhq.com