Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 (3-3 on agg.) Bayern Munich
Paris Saint-Germain have done it. After falling to Bayern Munich in last year’s Champions League final, PSG have exacted their revenge on the Bavarians by knocking the holders out in the quarter-final stage of this year’s competition.
The Champions League 2021 betting odds favoured the German giants to win the second leg in Paris despite still missing Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnarby, and they did emerge 1-0 winners thanks to an Eric Choupo-Moting goal.
PSG – Neymar, in particular – failed to take their many chances to put the tie away, but they did not end up needing another goal as they still progressed on the away goals rule. The French champions now await the winner of the Manchester City-Borussia Dortmund tie in the semi-finals.
Highlights of the game
After scoring just three minutes into the first leg, Kylian Mbappe nearly gave PSG a perfect start to the second as Neymar set him through on goal just three minutes into the match, but the French superstar couldn’t find the target this time around.
Mbappe would cause even more chaos to the Bayern backline six minutes later as he blew past compatriot Benjamin Pavard and crossed to Neymar, whose outstretched effort was smothered by Manuel Neuer.
Bayern Munich had looked dominant in the home leg despite the absence of Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry, but they spent the first 20 minutes of the second leg without a shot on target. Meanwhile, Mbappe and Neymar continued to threaten on the break.
Bayern finally started to come alive in the 25th minute as Leroy Sane lashed his shot from the edge of the box just wide. And moments later, Bayern’s press helped create another chance for Joshua Kimmich, who came a bit closer with his long-range shot but still couldn’t quite hit the target.
PSG nearly hit back almost immediately with another lightning-quick counter led by Mbappe, who teed up Neymar for a shot. But the Brazilian was again denied by a good save by Neuer.
Neymar would then go on an incredible six-minute stretch where he would see three of his shots hit the frame of the goal.
First, he had a left-footed shot touched onto the near post by Neuer. Then, he nearly curled one into the top corner with his right foot, but it agonisingly hit the top of the bar. And finally, after Mbappe set him up for another one-on-one with Neuer, Neymar conspired to hit the post again.
It was not looking like it was going to be PSG and Neymar’s night, and they got further proof of that fact as Bayern took the lead against the run of play moments later. After Keylor Navas made a good stop to deny David Alaba, Eric Choupo-Moting reacted quickly to head the ball home on the rebound.
A reinvigorated Bayern almost went two up just before half-time as Alaba again fired a shot which forced Navas into action.
PSG continued to produce great opportunities in the second half, though. Angel Di Maria rolled the ball across the face of a wide-open goal in search of a decisive touch from Neymar. But the Brazilian again could not capitalise as he was unable to tap the ball in.
Bayern also came close to getting the goal they needed to go through, but Navas did well to deny Thomas Muller.
But Bayern’s push for that second goal left them even more open to counterattacks, and Mbappe finally put the ball in the back of the net after one of those breaks. However, the goal was ruled out due to offside.
Bayern continued to press on for that all-important goal into the final minutes, with Sane involved in their most dangerous moves. But the Germans just couldn’t find a way though as their quest to retain their European crown came to an end.
Key statistics
The home side in this tie was quite unlucky. After Bayern failed to score more of their 31 shots in the first leg, it was PSG’s turn to squander their big chances.
Neymar was the main offender as he created plenty of Champions League 2021 highlights, but none of his six shots found the back of the net. As a result, PSG were held scoreless at home in the Champions League for the first time in 24 games.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting celebrates scoring Bayern Munich’s first goal [/caption]“text-align: justify;”>On the other side, Eric Choupo-Moting continues to shine in the Champions League. He has now scored four goals in his last five Champions League games, although he has been on the losing side in both Bayern-PSG battles over the last two years.
What’s next?
As PSG await the winner of the Man City-Borussia Dortmund tie, they will be busy preparing for their Ligue 1 assignment over the weekend against Saint-Etienne. The Parisians have work to do to overturn a three-point deficit over leaders Lille with just six games to go.
As for Bayern, they will now focus on securing a ninth straight Bundesliga title. Although, they will have a tough matchup against Wolfsburg, who are still unbeaten at home this season. Check out SBOTOP’s preview for that big Bundesliga battle when it comes out.
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The post Champions League: PSG Get Sweet Revenge as Bayern Fall Short appeared first on SBOTOP.
