Bayern knock PSG out of Champions League with second-leg win
Having controlled the opening stages of the first leg so comprehensively, it was perhaps surprising that Bayern were happy to concede possession early on, trusting their organisation to keep the visitors at bay.
Christophe Galtier was the latest manager in the PSG dugout looking to break their last 16 hoodoo, but he suffered a huge blow before the break when captain Marquinhos was forced off injured.
Bayern’s Leon Goretzka, who had been a personal bulldozer to Lionel Messi’s influence on the first half, had the first sight of goal, as his long-range effort fizzed into the gloves of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian shot-stopper was forced into more serious action on the half-hour mark, as he produced a smart save to deny Jamal Musiala from inside the area.
Despite looking far more comfortable than in the first meeting in Paris, Galtier’s men offered very little in terms of attacking threat until a moment of madness from Yann Sommer nearly blew the tie wide open. The Swiss goalkeeper was caught in possession in his own box by Vitinha, but the midfielder failed to capitalise, as his shot was heroically cleared off the line by Matthijs De Ligt.
After the restart, Julian Nagelsmann was left furious with a VAR decision to overturn a Bayern goal. Thomas Müller was adjudged to have interfered with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s goalbound header from an offside position, keeping the Parisians within touching distance while raising the temperature inside the Allianz Arena.
There’d be no doubt about the Rekordmeister opening the scoring on the hour mark though. Marco Verratti was caught in possession on the edge of his own area by Müller, allowing Goretzka to slide in Choupo-Moting for a tap-in to score against his former side and put daylight between the teams.
One of few Bayern players inexperienced on this stage, Sommer showed his worth to defend the lead as he made a fabulous save to deny Sergio Ramos’ header. That was as close as an erratic PSG side would come to a comeback, with Serge Gnabry putting the tie to bed in the 90th minute after a lethal counterattack.
Bayern appear a force to be reckoned with, winning all eight of their games in this competition this term, yet to concede a UCL goal on home soil, while they’re unbeaten at the Allianz Arena in all competitions for over a year.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich)
