In their exciting first leg match of the UEFA Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain upset Bayern Munich 5-4.
The exhilarating, end-to-end encounter, in which both teams went all out attacking, produced nine goals littered with world class strikes and excellent team moves
Alphonse Davis took Konrad Laimer’s place in defense for Bayern Munich, but PSG’s starting lineup from the team that crushed Chelsea in the quarterfinals remained the same.
Harry Kane’s penalty for Luis Diaz’s foul on minute 17 gave the visitors their first goal, and the Englishman scored his 13th goal of the UCL season. However, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia’s beautiful solo goal for PSG restored parity with a curling attempt from the edge of the penalty area.
Joao Neves’ well-placed header from Dembele’s corner kick in minute 33 gave the home team the lead, but Michael Olise, a superb player, equalized for Bayern by weaving through space in the middle before slamming his shot past the goalkeeper for 2-2.
In the extra minutes, there was more drama as Davies was found to have held the ball in the box after a VAR review. Dembele skillfully converted PSG’s penalty for his brace, and the halftime score of 3-2 set a record for the most goals in the first half of a UCL semifinal.
As both teams went for the jugular in front of their supporters, the UCL champions PSG scored twice in two minutes in the second half. Kvaratskhelia finished his brace with the final touch of a team move for 4-2 on 56 minutes, and Ballon d’Or winner Dembele finished his two minutes later to give PSG a three-goal lead.
Despite the absence of coach Vincent Kompany due to a touchline ban, Bayern managed to stage another comeback, scoring two goals in three minutes. Joshua Kimmich’s floating free kick was first headed home by Upamecano for 5-3, and then Diaz beat the offside trap and slotted home for 5-4.
Despite Bayern’s late assault on their defense for a fast-paced conclusion, PSG managed to calm frazzled jitters to hold on and win 5-4. The match’s nine goals making it the most goals scored in a single UCL semifinal in the competition’s history.
Next week, the two teams will square off at the Allianz Arena in Germany to determine who moves on to the final, which will take place on May 30 in Budapest, Hungary.
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