PSG prove they are full package after setting up mouthwatering tie with Arsenal with Bayern win

In truth it did not quite hit the heights of the first leg, that would have been extremely difficult if not impossible. But if anything there was more to worry Arsenal and Mikel Arteta as PSG showed their other face – just as they had in knocking out Liverpool – as they defended ferociously to preserve their lead against Bayern’s onslaught.

And it was an onslaught. Except Bayern never, ever looked like winning. In fact all the big chances fell to PSG who are scarily good on the break and should have won here in Bavaria.

In Khvicha Kvaratskhelia they have arguably the best player in the world at present and, maybe, the successor to his team-mate Ousmane Dembélé in winning the Ballon d’Or if PSG do retain this trophy.

PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia looks set to be in contention for the Ballon d’Or - Martin Meissner/AP Photo

The only downside for the winger is that his country, Georgia, did not qualify for the World Cup so he is denied that stage. But there is not a more exciting, direct and – crucially – hard-working player than him. Arsenal will have to deny him – and Dembélé (the pair again combined for PSG’s goal) and Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola.

Harry Kane did score. But it was deep in injury-time and it was too late as he swept the ball high into the net from just inside the penalty area for – incredibly – his 60th goal of the season for club and country.

The other side of the story is Bayern’s elimination and the denial of Kane, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker, of the chance to finally win the Champions League and the motivation of denying Arsenal, of all opponents, in doing so.

Until his strike it was a tough night for Kane, shackled by PSG’s combative centre-half Willian Pacho, in what has otherwise been a glorious season for him with Bayern.

Meanwhile beyond the breathtaking talent no team works harder than PSG, brilliantly marshalled by their captain Marquinhos. Arsenal centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are outstanding but so are PSG’s and they operate in a team that is far more open and attacking.

Arsenal have their work cut out. Arteta will have a plan and he will hope that their disciplined style and their own defensive resilience might be the kryptonite.

On the evidence of the semi-finals there will be only one winner. But logic does not always prevail. Even so Arsenal will head to the final as the underdogs and might, actually, like it that way.

Not least because as we have seen over the past two seasons PSG relish facing Premier League teams in knock-out ties. Surely that run has to end?

They also relish this stage and their goal, the breathtaking construction of it, summed up what they are all about. As did the timing. There was no attempt to quieten the crowd (okay, that would have been impossible given the din from both sets of supporters) or draw the sting or play their way into this game.

No, they hit Bayern hard with Fabián Ruiz releasing Kvaratskhelia who only had one thought: run hard, down the line, taking on the defence. No checking back, no coming inside, no “horseshoe”. So, he pulled the ball back and Dembélé met it to finish unerringly.

They scored four goals between them in the first leg and, already, here was a fifth with precisely 139 seconds having elapsed.

For Kvaratskhelia it was the seventh successive knock-out game in this competition in which he has either scored or assisted. And no player has done that before. Not Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo.

By half-time Kane and Bayern were chasing after the Portuguese referee João Pinheiro claiming he should have sent off the already booked Nuno Mendes – he shouldn’t – and that they should have had a penalty for handball by João Neves. Again they shouldn’t.

Bayern Munich players appealed what they believed was a handball from Nuno Mendes - Anna Szilagyi/Shutterstock

Instead Bayern, including their sporting director Christoph Freund, continued to argue with the official not accepting the law which states it is not handball if it comes from a team-mate’s clearance.

Yes, Jamal Musiala probably should have scored but the best chances and the most dangerous situations continued to be created by PSG with Bayern’s urgency descending into a sense of panic as they failed to make much headway.

Jamal Musiala was denied by PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov - S. Mellar/Getty Images

It is never easy when you can be countered so quickly and so Kvaratskhelia and Doué provided a constant, almost frightening threat.

PSG’s control, their composure was remarkable especially through Marquinhos and the metronomic Vitinha who pops up in midfield to intercept danger and provide some of his own.

Tellingly the noise from the Bayern fans began to subside. It did not disappear but it was being drowned out from the PSG end where they even sang La Marseillaise and found yet more pyrotechnics to set off.

Would there be any more fireworks on the pitch? Kane miscontrolled a pass but then did as Kane does and his second touch was deft before scoring with power. Was there hope for Bayern? It was simply too late. There was encouragement for Arsenal in PSG conceding. But there are precious few weaknesses.

10:56pm

And finally here’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

We are very proud we did it again. It’s important for us and it will be the biggest game of our life. We will give everything for this club.

Very important that we scored first. We fight today, team spirit was amazing.

[Looking forward to taking on Arsenal given your record this season against English sides (P6 W5 D1)?] We respect all of the teams. It’s very important to play our game. We don’t focus on which opponent is in the final, we just go on the pitch and play our game.

10:52pm

Vincent Kompany speaks to TNT Sports

I understand that the players will be disappointed. I think we gave everything. It was a game of details. We have played them five time sin two years. They won two, we won two and now there was a draw. It’s been that kind of game.

We have to look at the phases decided by the officials across the two games. It’s never an excuse but it matters. If you look at both legs, probably too much went against us.

But the guys gave everything and we tried.

On the handball situations, I get the rules. The first one goes to his body and then to his hand, it’s close range but because of the trajectory of the cross, that’s why they say they gave a penalty [at Parc des Princes last week]. Now because his hand is there [in the air] but because it was from a team-mate they say it was not a penalty. But if you look at it, it’s ridiculous and whatever needs to happen [to change the law]. It’s ridiculous.

It’s a one-goal game in the end [so tight calls make a difference]. The second yellow card in the first half [Nuno Mendes], I thought he was giving it and I felt he pulled out because he remembered he’d already given him a yellow and he didn’t want to send him off. He turned it around. I’ve seen it from a few angles and I don’t think Laimer touched the ball with his hand. They say he did. I don’t know.

I thought we did extremely well at bringing the ball into dangerous areas and they did extremely well at defending key areas of the box. On the cross and cut-backs they were very active. I thought we disrupted the pressing very well, they weren’t able to get at us like in recent games but obviously they’re a very dangerous team. and you can never completely put them out of the tie.

It’s margins, details. Congratulations to them.

Bayern are a great club, in the top five in the world. But on average [we] win it every 10 years so it’s not easy. This opportunity is gone but very soon we will be back in with another opportunity.

10:15pm

The final

Is at the Puskas Stadium in Budapest on Saturday May 30. Arsenal vs PSG, kick off at 5pm.

Why the change from 8pm that has prevailed since the switch from midweek to Saturdays in 2010?

Here’s Uefa:

The decision is designed to enhance the overall matchday experience for fans, teams and host cities by optimising logistics and operations, while delivering several tangible benefits. Our goal is to make matchday a truly enjoyable experience for everyone who wants to be part of the excitement, while creating a welcoming atmosphere that makes it easy for families and children to attend the biggest and most important club football match of the season.

For travelling supporters, it will mean improved access to public transport – especially after the match – and a safer, more convenient journey back from the stadium. For the host cities, it will boost the positive economic impact of the event by giving fans the possibility to continue their celebrations.

The new kick-off time also aligns with a more accessible broadcasting window, helping the final reach an even broader television and digital audience worldwide, with a particular focus on engaging younger viewers.

10:10pm

Clubs to win back-to-back European Cups

Real Madrid 
Benfica
Inter
Ajax
Bayern
Liverpool
Nottingham Forest
Milan

But also those rooting for Arsenal, clubs to win their first European Cup this century: Chelsea and PSG.

10:00pm

Full time: Bayern Munich 1 PSG 1 (5-6 agg)

But too little and too late. The ref blows 15 seconds after Marquinhos’ treatment ends.

PSG are in back-to-back finals and will take on Arsenal in Budapest.

09:59pm

90+6 min: Bayern Munich 1 PSG 1 (5-6 agg)

Marquinhos goes down with cramp adding more time.

09:56pm Video • Goals

GOAL!

Bayern Munich 1 PSG 1 (Kane)

Emphatic left-foot finish after a lovely touch to take it away from Pacho, thumping it into the roof of the net. Set up by Davies who found his run and he was played onside by Hernandez. There’s about a minute left.

09:55pm

90+2 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern have retained a 60-40 adavantage in possession but they only four of their 14 shots have been on trager compared with PSG’s 8/15.

09:53pm

90 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Barcola storms forward on the counter-attack and Neuer ahs to be at his best again to keep out Barcola’s curling shot. Five minutes of stoppage time to come.

09:52pm

88 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

More extraordinary skill, this time by Diaz, to whip the ball away by the touchline, spurt inside and cross to the substitute Karl whose first-time shot is blocked and Laimer pounces on to the rebound for a left-foot shot that hits Joao Neves on the arm from very close range and in a not unnatural position. Bayern surround teh referee but he waves play on and PSG break.

09:50pm

87 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern have been unable to lay a glove on PSG for most of this half, restricted to long-range shots and the odd set-piece.

09:48pm

85 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Marquinhos is booked for a foul to buy time 10 yards inside his own half.

09:47pm

82 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Jackson → Musiala.

Bayern are gambling by keeping more players forward now with two up top, leaving them vulnerable to the counter, the spearhead of which is the marauding Nuno Mendes who tries to chip Neuer from 25 yards but doesn’t get it right and screws his shot way wide.

09:45pm

80 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kvaratskhelia goes pelting into the box from the left, using all his tricks, the bodyswerve, the pace and seemingly immaculate touch, to leave his pursuers in his vapour trail but at the moment he was about to shoot he overruns the ball.

09:42pm

78 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Díaz is booked for diving when he knew he couldn’t reach the return in a give and go to the right of the D. So he threw himself into the turf instead.

09:41pm

76 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Lucas Hernández → Doué
Beraldo → Fabian Ruiz.

Just before he departed Doué had another shot and left Neuer looking as if he were wearing concrete boots but wafts it wide.

09:39pm

74 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kvaratskhelia shimmies this way and that. If you drew Laimer’s blood tonight it would be fizzy. The winger puts the ball on a plate for Doué 12 yards out down the inside-left channel but eh thrashes his shot into the side-netting.

09:37pm

72 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Outrageous example of technical skill when in the tightest of areas Doué plays an L-shaped flick to beat two defenders on the whitewash in the style, as Steven Gerrard points out, of Paul Gascoigne in 1990.

09:34pm

70 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Two good openings for Bayern after excellent work by Davies using his pace against Zaire-Emery down the line. He works the ball infield to Diaz who traps it and then pokes a shot from 16 yards as it sat up. Safonov makes a comfortable save as he does moments later when Olise shimmies in from the right and, for once finding a gap to shoot through, scuffs it straight at the keeper.

09:31pm

68 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Barcola → Dembélé

Diaz wants to shoot after cutting in from the left but cannot find the space so well set is PSG’s defence. So he shifts it over to the right and after a bit more probing that is easily rebuffed, Stanisic decides to have a shot from 20 yards and pumps it over the bar. Worth a go seeing he was about to be hooked.

Davies → Stanisic
Kim → Tah

09:28pm

65 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Back comes Doué, making 35 yards as he dribbles at pace with Stanisic behind him and unable to catch up and Tah ahead of him and reluctant to dive in. Before Tah can make up his mind, Doué takes on the shot early, a nasty daisycutter towards he bottom left. Neuer gets down swiftly to paw it away with his outstretcehd left hand.

09:26pm

63 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Stanisic times his tackle with Swiss precision to tap the ball away from Doué in full stride who was gliding into the area to shoot.

09:24pm

61 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Stanisic shoots from 18 yards after Pavlavic dribbled across from the right, spinning to lose Pacho before setting up the left-back to have a dig from the left of the D.

09:21pm

58 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Neuer to the rescue again, this time with his left foot as he spreads his legs wide to stop Kvaratskhelia;s vicious shot after another devastatingly slinky dribble in from the right using both feet to throw defenders off balance.

09:20pm

57 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Vitinha embarks on a diagonal run from left to right to draw Tah out before slipping pass to Doué on the right. The winger executes a step over, shifts his weight on to his left then darts to the right and hammers a shot that Neuer bats away from the near post.

09:17pm

55 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Pavlovic leans back and spoons a shot from 20 yards over the bar after being set up by Diaz’s square pass.

09:16pm

53 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Free-kick for Bayern after Marquinhos catches Kane with his hand as they went up in an aerial duel.

09:14pm

51 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Pacho was OK to resume but has been clocked on the chin now  by Laimer’s shoulder as he tried to block the PSG man’s clearance.

09:12pm

49 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Something straight out of the Day Today from Darren Fletcher when he says Bayern’s bouncing fans are ‘like a big bowl of red jelly’. At least tell us the flavour.

09:10pm

47 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Pacho is down claiming a head injury after he ducked into Kane’s high boot after the England captain had dinked the ball over his head.

09:09pm

46 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

They go again. Tah passes the ball straight into touch to end a period of probing up the Bayern left.

08:56pm

Half-time: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Another ridiculously entertaining game worthy of its billing. PSG’s movement and incisive passing, particularly in executing their strategy of monstering Laimer and Upamecano on the right side of the Bayern defence, and the ability of the home side’s two wingers, Olise and Diaz, to snake or burst their way past the PSG full-backs, is compelling.

08:52pm

Half-time: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kimmich stands up a long chip into the box, Tah slips away from Dembélé and has a free header from about 12 yards, even if he has to impart all the power on to it. He bends his neck backward and bullets a header wide of the right post. Howls of anguish precede the half-time whistle.

08:50pm

45+1 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kvaratskhelia is booked for booting the ball away after conceding a free-kcik 10 yards inside the PSG half.

08:49pm

45 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Two minutes of stoppage time are signalled.

08:49pm

44 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern’s best move of the game, from Olise infield from the right to Musiala who goes on a great, jinking run with Kane making the space to allow him to ghost in to take the ball to the left of the D and shoot low. Marquinhos slides in to try to block but deflects it towards the bottom left corner. Safonov makes an excellent save.

08:46pm

41 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Nice work by Musiala, a slippery run to the byline on the right but his attempt to cut a shot back is disrupted by Safonov’s block.

08:45pm

39 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern are dominating the possession by 58-42 at this stage but cannot build sustained spells of pressure.

08:44pm Video

37 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

The teams exchange counter-attacks in the basketball style. End to end. Ally McCoits says he is pleased Bayern were not given a penalty but I don’t know why it wasn’t given. The ball hit a raised hand but does that not count of it is played into a hand by a player from the same side, ie it didn’t stop a shot on goal or stop a Bayern attack but thwarted a PSG clearance?

08:39pm

35 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern’s defence just can’t live with PSG’s pace and movement. Not just the defenders but the midfielders and forwards when doing their defensive duties.

08:38pm

33 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Neuer keeps Bayern’s hopes alive with a finger-tip save, low to his left when Joao Neves lost his marker at the back post to meet Vitinha’s free-kick. PSG have a corner but can’t take it until a lighter, thrown at Dembélé, is handed to the ref. Neuer goes to tell the fans in that corner to stop chucking stuff.

Manuel Neuer gestures to the Bayern Munich supporters after some of them appeared to direct missiles at the PSG players - Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

08:35pm

31 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Safonov saves eccentrically from Kane’s low shot and as PSG try to clear, Marquinhos fires the ball into Joao Neves’s raised hand. Kompany does a Rumpelstiltskin strop down the touchline screaming for a penalty but the referee will not be swayed, maintaining it was accidental and the VAR agrees with him,

08:33pm

29 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern are going spare because Nuno Mendes is on a yellow card and the ball strikes the right palm of an outstretched arm as Laimer tries to knock it and bomb past him. It certainly stopped Laimer going clear but the referee awards the free-kick the other way for what he says was a Laimer hand ball as he controlled it. Looked like his chest.

Bayern Munich players were convinced Nuno Mendes handled he ball - Martin Meissner/AP

08:31pm

27 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Olise has a wonderful gait as he runs then stops then goes again, the ball expertly controlled with the toes of his left foot. Now he lines up Nuno Mendes, pauses then accelerates away to shoot with his left from the right and fizzes it over the bar.

Michael Olise went close to scoring for Bayern Munich - odd Andersen/Getty Images

08:29pm

25 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Nuno Mendes is flattened by Upamecano after the PSG pulled out of a tackle and the Bayern centre-half caught him as he slid in but unmaliciously. Nuno Mendes almost hurdled him but struck the defender’s arm.

08:27pm

23 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Diaz has had Zaire-Emery on toast a couple of times now and beats him again to shimmy infield from the left wing, open his body and wraps his right instep around a shot that he wants to arrow into the top right. But he cannot get the bend and it sails harmlessly beyond Safonov and out for a goal-kick.

Diaz has been Bayern’s beacon of hope - ODD ANDERSEN/AFP

08:24pm

21 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kvaratskhelia counters quickly, tacks in off the left wing and hammers a shot with his right looking for the top right corner but the ball hits a defender which kills its momentum and makes it an easy save for Neuer.

08:23pm

20 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kane tackles Vitinha and tries to free Kimmich up the inside-left channel but he runs straight into Zaire-Emery.

08:22pm

18 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

The action remains breathless and the pitch is so slick because of the downpour that the ball is skipping on, too. Fast players and a pitch like glass. How could it be anything other than breathless?

08:20pm

15 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Kimmich overhits a cross from the right over Kane’s head but Diaz chases it out to the left, diddles Zaire-Emery and glides up the byline to try to set up Olise for a sliding tap-in from six yards. But Nuno Mendes reads it diligently, makes an excellent block of the stabbed effort and Vitinha hustles the ball away. PSG work it up the left and Kvaratskhelia is off on his bike again, haring up the left, skinning Upamecano a second time to get to the byline. He dribbles up the line and shoots and Neuer has to watch it into the side-netting via a deflection.

08:17pm

13 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Musiala is finding some space and probing from good positions, centrally and on the right.

08:16pm

11 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

The first goal here is the pick of the 10 of the tie so far. There’s a video in that entry now if you want to see it. The rain is teeming down as Kane decides to try to blast a shot through Pacho but only succeeds in hitting the centre-back’s firm muscle and the ball rebounds away from the box.

08:14pm

9 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

The free-kick comes to naught but Bayern are starting to get a grip, at least on the ball.

08:13pm

7 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Couple of slips from Nayern on their right early in, first Laimer and then Olise. But not this time, that’s a foul and a worthy booking for Nuno Mendes who trod on Olise’s foot as he ran at him, all snakehips and explosive acceleration.

08:11pm

5 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (4-6 agg)

Bayern have been blown away so far with PSG starting like a train, moving the ball quickly, accurately and swarming forward in numbers. But there’s also the crucial moments of calm, when the tumult stops for a second for Kvaratskhelia to pick out an exquisite pass for Dembélé.

08:05pm Video • Goals

GOAL!

Bayern Munich 0 PSG 1 (Dembélé)

A hundred and forty seconds in and PSG are in front. Fabian Ruiz plays a cute pass out to Kvaratskhelia who dribbles down the left, lengthening his stride and burning past Upamecanao to get to the 18 yard line and then the box before picking out the perfect pass to the Ballon d’Or winner who loses his marker with an in-out-in run and then sweeps home a devastating left-foot shot high into Neuer’s goal.

08:04pm

1 min: Bayern Munich 0 PSG 0 (4-5 agg)

Bayern kick off with a loud rhythmic chant of ‘Bayern. Bayern’ echoing around the arena. They give up the ball fairly carelessly but PSG can’t do much with it. Signs are that PSG will press as relentlessly as they tend to do at the start.

The PSG fans have managed to smuggle flares and pyrotechnics into the stadium and have just let them off - to a chorus of boos from the Bayern supporters. It continues to be lively. And we expect no less when the game kicks off.

08:01pm

The teams are out

Bayern in red, PSG in black.

Vincent Kompany, for fans of trousers, has his customary enormous bags on. Think JoBoxers. Oh, ask your parentsgrandparents…

07:59pm

The semi-final tifo

Banner proclaims ‘shoot us into the final’ - Jason Burt

07:57pm

Whistling Bavarians

There is an incredible air of anticipation ahead of kick-off. And the noise is not abating. There are piercing whistles as the Paris Saint-Germain team is read-out – extremely quickly by the Bayern Munich PA announcer. PSG will not care. They have good memories of this stadium, of course, having blown away Inter Milan 5-0 in the final at the Allianz Arena last season.

S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images

07:42pm

Champions League pundits

We miss Clarence Seedorf, who works for Amazon Prime, tonight. On TNT Sports we have Steven Gerrard and Owen Hargreaves, continuing TNT and previously BT Sport’s policy of hiring on name rather than insight or even charisma. Gerrard was a great player, Hargreaves a very good one. But the level of analysis isn’t up to snuff.

07:36pm

To the barricades…

Angelika Warmuth/Reuters

07:34pm

Allianz racket

I have been to many, many big European nights and this is easily the loudest atmosphere I have ever witnessed. The Bayern Munich fans and the Paris Saint-Germain supporters have been going back and forth with their songs and chants for an hour. And we are still some way from kick-off.

07:17pm

A brief word from Vincent Kompany for TNT Sports

I expected it a little bit [last week’s goalfest], the traits of these teams are similar. They press high and are extremely intense and we are the same. It’s organised chaos. Both teas have been really successful in doing what they’ve done. It’s a battle of ideas that’s why it’s so intense, who will yield first.

I know what I’ve done as a player, I’m not naive enough to think it’s about me as a coach. I’m all in for the players, If we win I would give them my medal.

07:11pm

A brief word from Luis Enrique to TNT Sports

We are one step away from the final and I believe when we play here it is good to remember because we won the final here last year. I think we need to show everybody that we are ready, to show everybody that we respect Bayern Munich but that we want to go to the next step and that’s our goal.

07:03pm

Reflections on the first leg

Five reasons we can’t have football like PSG-Bayern in the Premier League

Paris St-Germain 5 Bayern Munich 4 on Tuesday night stirred several feelings. At some point during Bayern’s second or third revival it reminded me of an episode of 24, with Luis Díaz in the Jack Bauer role.

Watching Kiefer Sutherland’s old show was an assault on the senses, 45 minutes of shouting and banging that eventually became too much to process, then was inevitably made irrelevant by several late plot twists. At Parc des Princes we witnessed shock and awe football in this style. There was so much action and so many changes in momentum that it was almost overwhelming.

It was possible to feel envy too. It was like watching a different sport than this season’s Premier League, a better one. Why can the supposed Best League In The World not provide entertainment like this? A few theories to ponder…

06:55pm

Your teams in black and white

Bayern Munich Neuer; Stanisic, Tah, Upamecano, Laimer; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Díaz; Kane. 
Substitutes Ulreich, Urbig, Kim, Goretzka, Jackson, Davies, Bischof, Ito, Guerreiro, Karl.

PSG Safonov; Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia.
Substitutes Vignaud, Laurendon, Marin, Lucas Beraldo, Zabarnyi, Goncalo Ramos, Lee, Hernández, Mayulu, Fernández, Barcola, Mbaye.

Referee Joao Pedro Pinheiro (Portugal)

06:50pm

One change for PSG as well

Zaïre-Emery moves to right-back to replace the injured Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz comes into midfield:

06:48pm

Bayern make one change from last week’s XI

Laimer replaces Davies as the strating left-back:

05:50pm

Preview: Attack! Attack! Attack!

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final tie between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, the winner of which will play Arsenal in the final in Budapest on May 30. The match at Allianz Arena begins with PSG 5-4 ahead after the most enjoyable game of the season, the defending champions rallying from 0-1 down to 5-2 up after only 58 minutes before goals from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz narrowed the deficit to an infinitely less daunting single goal.

Bayern have won their last two encounters with PSG in Munich by 1-0 in 2024-25 and 2-0 in 2022-23 and have that victory in the Covid final of 2020 up their sleeves, a match in which Joshua Kimmich played at right-back and shut down Neymar. Kimmich, now restored to central midfield, has his work cut out dealing with Joao Neves, who this writer thinks may be the best player in the world at the moment, but will have lent his wisdom to both full-backs in their mission to try to counter the sinuous movement of the opposition’s front three and the supporting runs of the full-backs. Sandwiching that nine-goal bonanza at Parc des Princes, Bayern beat Mainz 4-3 in the league preceding the first leg and drew with already relegated Heidenheim 3-3 on Saturday, albeit with a much changed side. Still, conceding 11 goals in their last three matches makes one fear for their defence tonight.

Having said that, they have also scored 11 in three games, have a front three of their own that would be the envy of the world but for PSG’s trio and know the visitors, again much changed, drew 2-2 with Lorient at the weekend, were beaten by Sporting in the 36-team stage and yielded the kind of chances to Chelsea and Liverpool in the preceding knockout rounds that Harry Kane can gobble up.

Moreover they have lost the flying Achraf Hakimi to the injury sustained last week and welcome back Raphaël Guerreiro and Lennart Karl who were unavailable last week. Bayern, serial semi-finalists, have only once overturned a first-leg defeat to make a European final in 10 attempts. They will have to do what they last did to CSKA Sofia 44 years ago to kill PSG’s ambition of adding a second star to their breast and keep their hopes of earning a seventh, to emulate AC Milan, alive.

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