German champions Bayern Munich have fallen at the semi-final stage of this season’s Champions League after a 1–1 draw at home on the night against the competition’s holders, Paris Saint-Germain. The visitors will now go on to face Arsenal in Budapest as they bid for back-to-back titles.
Vincent Kompany made wholesale changes to his starting lineup for the weekend’s draw with Heidenheim and restored much of the status quo for the visit of the Parisians. Konrad Laimer returned in place of Alphonso Davies in what was Kompany’s only change from the encounter at the Parc des Princes last week.
Kompany’s men got off to the worst possible start when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran the length of the Bayern half and cut the ball back for Ousmane Dembélé to lift it into the roof of the net, beyond the reach of Manuel Neuer.
Finding themselves in an unfamiliar position at the Allianz Arena, Bayern responded well and took control of the game, coming close to equalising through opportunities carved out by Luis Díaz and Michael Olise.
As Bayern began to get a foothold in the game, they were denied a penalty when a PSG clearance inside their own 18-yard box struck the outstretched arm of Joao Neves. Despite a deafening chorus of appeals from those in red, the referee waved play on.
Moments later, public enemy number two, Neves, thought he had extended the visitors’ lead with a close-range header, which was superbly tipped around the post by Neuer.
Before the half-time whistle, the hosts again came close to equalising. First, Michael Olise forced an excellent save from PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov, before Jamal Musiala failed to get his shot on target from a good position after cutting in on his right foot.
The visitors came out in the second half with renewed vigour to try to wrestle back control of the game, and their mercurial wingers, Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, quickly forced two good saves from Neuer.
As the second half wore on, Bayern continued to probe the PSG backline but struggled to create any real openings. As they gambled by pushing more men forward, they left the door ajar at the back. Kvaratskhelia brilliantly worked himself into a goalscoring opportunity and, were it not for a last-ditch tackle from Min-Jae Kim, the Georgian would undoubtedly have put the tie beyond Bayern’s reach.
With time running out, Harry Kane pulled a goal back with an astute finish as the game drifted into the 95th minute.
However, it proved to be too little, too late.
Bayern Munich (5) 1-1 (6) Paris Saint-Germain | Player Ratings
Bayern Munich:
Manuel Neuer (7) – Konrad Laimer (5), Dayot Upamecano (6), Jonathan Tah (5), Josip Stanišić (6) – Aleksandar Pavlović (5), Joshua Kimmich (6) – Michael Olise (5), Jamal Musiala (5), Luis Díaz (5) – Harry Kane (6)
Others: Min-Jae Kim (6), Alphonso Davies (6), Nicolas Jackson (-), Lennart Karl (-)
GGFN Man of the Match: Manuel Neuer (7)
Bayern seriously struggled to break down a very solid PSG backline in this second leg, and the tie could well have been decided much sooner had it not been for Manuel Neuer. The veteran stopper still shows his excellence at the age of 40; there is still life in the old dog yet. One more year?
