"Public hate is getting to him", "An absolute bum" - Twitter fans rip into PSG attacker for "ghosting" in 1-1 draw against Benfica

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe was ripped apart by fans for his lackluster performance in a 1-1 draw with Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The Parisians came into the game on the back of two wins in the competition against Juventus and Maccabi Haifa.

Lionel Messi gave the visitors the lead in Portugal as he curled home a beautiful first-time shot after linking up with Mbappe and Neymar Jr in the 22nd minute.

Benfica, however, were the more dominant side during the first half of the game. Their efforts were rewarded as an own goal by Danilo Pereira helped them get level. Pereira got the last touch off an Enzo Fernandez cross in the 41st minute.

Fans on Twitter launched scathing attacks on the PSG attacker. Many claimed that the Frenchman should never be compared to Erling Haaland.

Others claimed that Mbappe has played one good game the entire season. It was also suggested that public criticism might be getting into the player's head, resulting in him underperforming.

Overall, the tone of the criticism was pretty harsh. Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter as Kylian Mbappe was scrutinized by fans:

Mbappe's numbers, however, have been quite impressive so far this season. In 11 games across all competitions, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has bagged 11 goals.

PSG coach Christophe Galtier defends Hugo Ekitike

PSG coach Christophe Galtier.

PSG coach Christophe Galtier started Hugo Ekitike in his team's 2-1 win against Nice on 2 October. However, the newly-signed forward faced massive backlash for his lackluster performance.

Galtier came to the young striker's rescue as he told the media ahead of his team's clash against Benfica (via Newcastle World):

"It was important for me to get him started with players like Ney (Neymar) and Leo (Lionel Messi). It was his first tenure. Obviously, he does not have the benchmarks and the technical relationship that other players may have.

"Of course, we take Kylian as a reference. But on what I asked him, he was very good. He made a lot of effort. He was also quite good technically.”

Galtier added that he advised Ekitike to be more close to goal in the second half:

"I simply asked him at the break to be a little more present in the penalty area because, as much between the lines, he is good but he must also be very present in the penalty area. He was there, but a few times not, when we had interesting situations. He put in a lot of effort, he had played very little until now."