9 goals celebration in Paris
©IMAGO
In a breathtaking football spectacle, FC Bayern Munich lost the first round in the giants’ duel with Paris Saint-Germain, but made a great comeback. The suspended coach Vincent Kompany saw the German champions lose 4:5 (2:3) to the defending Champions League champions high up in the stands of the seething Prinzenpark in the semi-final first leg. The Munich team were behind 2:5 after 58 minutes.
In the semi-final second leg on Wednesday next week, Bayern still have to play big in the Allianz Arena at home in order to dethrone the defending champions. Then Kompany can also stand down on the sidelines again. The final on May 30th in Budapest is still within reach for the Munich triple hunters, who are performing with great morale. In addition, Bavaria joins the Parisians in the record statistics. Since the introduction of the Champions League (1992/93), there had never been a semi-final with nine goals (among the record games in the Champions League).
Upamecano and Díaz strike back
It was a monumental game of football on display on the pitch. Up and down it went – without any moments of rest. Tackles, dribbles, penalties – and goals, goals, goals. Harry Kane converted a penalty kick to make it 1-0 (17th minute). Michael Olise equalized to make it 2-2 (41′). And then Dayot Upamecano (65th) and Luis Díaz (68th) struck when Bayern already seemed to be knocked out.
Almost half a year after the 1:2 against Munich in the league phase, the PSG ensemble showed their full offensive class this time and celebrated five times thanks to the outstanding Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (24th/56th), a header from the midfielder João Neves (33rd), who is only 1.74 meters tall, and a hand penalty from Ousmane given after a VAR check Dembélé (45th + 5).
The world footballer and former Dortmund player scored again in the 58th minute to make the score 5-2. Both teams could have scored even more goals in the fast-paced exchange of blows at top speed. The offensive lines dominated the defensive lines including the two goalkeepers.
Emotional rollercoaster for Kompany in the stands
Until they arrived at the stadium, the Bayern entourage was as usual. Kompany also held the final meeting in the team hotel before he was separated from his team in the Prinzenpark. His spectator seat in the German champions’ 50th competitive game of the season was at a table at the top of the stands. The Belgian went through a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Vincent’s heart is in it – and of course we play for him too,” captain Manuel Neuer said on Prime Video after arriving at the Parc des Princes. Meanwhile, Kompany’s first assistant Aaron Danks took over the loud command on the sidelines.
“Danksy already has experience. I have 100 percent trust in our staff,” Kompany said. The 42-year-old Englishman didn’t dress up; he didn’t wear a fine suit, but stood in the coaching zone in a tracksuit.
Davies in the starting line-up instead of Laimer
The formation, tactics and route were largely obvious anyway. The Munich starting eleven contained a surprise: the extremely fast Alphonso Davies defended on the left instead of Konrad Laimer. The Canadian made the unfortunate handball that led to the penalty.
The Munich blueprint was the 2-1 win in the league phase at the beginning of November after a red card for double goalscorer Díaz when he was outnumbered. Being brave, being active, being resilient – that’s what Paris was all about again. “We are fighting for the title that PSG achieved last year,” Kompany said at the press conference the evening before about the goal. And as is well known, Paris achieved their premier class triumph in 2025 in Munich – with a 5-0 win against Inter Milan, which in turn defeated Bayern in the quarter-finals.
“At PSG it’s like a storm coming at you,” Kompany warned in view of the Paris attacking aces around Dembélé, the young Desiré Doué and Kvaratskhelia. He should be right. The PSG stars were hard to stop. Senny Mayulu (87th) almost made it 6:4 when he hit the ball against the crossbar.
But the Bayern offensive also delivered. The strong Díaz scored twice again, Olise showed great dribbling and scored wonderfully. Once the ball landed on the post after a great solo by the Frenchman. And Kane also scored – ice-cold from the point. All football fans can look forward to a big second leg.
