What a spectacle! Bayern Munich is already half-dead in the highest-scoring semi-final in Champions League history, but comes back spectacularly against PSG.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are two of the world’s best football teams, and expectations were correspondingly high for their first leg duel in the semi-finals of the Champions League. But what the two teams delivered on Tuesday evening in the Parc des Princes in Paris exceeded even their wildest expectations.
After a wild back and forth, Paris won 5:4 (3:2) and now has good chances of reaching the final in the second leg next Wednesday (9 p.m., live audio report on sportschau.de). But Bayern shouldn’t be dissatisfied either, after all they kept the defeat within limits after a temporary 2:5 deficit.
Four Munich goal scorers
Harry Kane (17th, penalty kick) had put Bayern in the lead, Michael Olise (41st), Dayot Upamecano (64th) and Luis Diaz (68th) kept Bayern’s final dreams alive. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (24th, 56th), Joao Neves (33rd) and Ousmane Dembélé (45th + 5, hand penalty, 58th) scored for PSG.
“For me it was a fantastic football game where two fantastic teams that wanted to move forward threw everything into the balance,” said Bayern’s sports director Max Eberl. “I haven’t seen so many football games at this level and with this quality.”
Olise misses a 2-0 lead
The teams allowed themselves a quarter of an hour of scanning, then they went full throttle. The starting signal was a tackle from Willian Pacho in his own penalty area, he first hit Bayern’s Luis Diaz on the foot, then the ball. Referee Sandro Schärer from Switzerland immediately awarded a penalty, Kane converted coldly.
Shortly afterwards, Olise had a chance to score the second goal, but his great chance was denied by goalkeeper Matwei Safonov. During this phase, Bayern briefly seemed like masters in a strange house.
Kvaratskhelia leaves Stanisic standing
However, they offered large gaps at the back, allowing Dembélé to run completely freely towards Manuel Neuer. The world footballer missed surprisingly miserably, but just a minute later Kvaratskhelia did much better. He left Josip Stanisic standing and hit the far corner precisely.
Paris Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrate their goal
Things continued at a crazy pace with danger on both sides. Super dribbler Olise left world-class defenders Nuno Mendes and Marquinhos standing and passed from the goal line into the middle. There Neves deflected the ball so that it hit the post – luck for PSG.
Neves evades Musiala
In direct response, Désiré Doué finished in Bayern’s penalty area and shot just wide to the left. The 1.74 meter tall Neves headed Dembélé’s subsequent corner to give PSG the lead. Jamal Musiala, who started in the absence of the injured Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl, had lost contact with his opponent.
There was still chance after chance, including Doué again shooting just wide to the left. The next goal belonged to the guests: Olise received the ball 20 meters centrally in front of the goal. Four opponents surrounded him, but none attacked vigorously. You shouldn’t do that when someone like Olise has the ball: he pushed into the penalty area and scored to equalize.
Bayern’s Michael Olise celebrates his goal
Davies with an unfortunate handball
It would have been a fair half-time result, but Alphonso Davies made an unfortunate save in added time. When defending a Dembélé cross, he initially kept his hands behind his back to avoid a handball. At the last moment, however, he opened his stance slightly – and received the cross from a short distance to the thigh and then to the slightly spread forearm.
Referee Schärer allowed the game to continue, but was called to the screen by the VAR. There he decided on a penalty – a tough but explainable decision. Dembélé took over, Manuel Neuer had his fingertips on it, but the shot was too placed.
Danks represents Kompany
After that it was halftime, time to take a breather, even for the sensory-flooded spectators. And time to deliver for Aaron Danks. As Bayern’s assistant coach, the 42-year-old Brit is usually responsible for set pieces, but in Paris he represented head coach Vincent Kompany, who was sitting in the stands with a yellow card suspended.
Bayern’s assistant coach Aaron Danks on the sidelines
So Danks had to take over the half-time speech in this very demanding game and he also decided to make a change: Konrad Laimer replaced Davies, who was in the starting line-up in a Champions League game for the first time this season.
Double strike from PSG
The change was supposed to bring more stability in defense, but the opposite happened. Hakimi had far too much space on the right and played the ball flat into the penalty area. With a bit of luck it landed at the second post for Kvaratskhelia, who hit the left corner.
Just two minutes later, Dembélé made it 5-2 by tunneling past Dayot Upamecano after a hook and shooting centimeter-perfect onto the inside left post.
Bayern’s coach Vincent Kompany in the stands
Double strike from Bayern Munich
Now it looked like a debacle, but Bayern had an answer. Upamecano headed a sharp free-kick cross from Joshua Kimmich into the goal at the second post.
Just a few minutes later, Diaz shone again, he perfectly volleyed a long pass from Kane on the outside, beat Marquinhos and finished strongly – a dream goal.
Mayulu hits the crossbar
Afterwards the game lost a little of its crazy pace. In the 87th minute, Bayern were lucky again when substitute Senny Mayulu only hit the crossbar from a tight angle.
The Munich team no longer took full risks in the final phase in order to preserve their chances in the second leg. “We know that we are playing at home and have everything in our hands,” Neuer said. “Everything is still there, we really showed morale and came back well.”
Bayern still have their sights set on the treble. The German championship is already secure, VfB Stuttgart is waiting in the DFB Cup final and the Champions League final on May 30th in Budapest is within reach.
