Paris Saint-Germain knocked the defending champions Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Tuesday to qualify for the semi-finals. Despite losing 1-0 on the night, PSG’s performance in the first leg where they won 3-2 was enough to give them a ticket for the next stage.
PSG would think they were unlucky not to score on the night. Rather than sitting back and protecting a one-goal lead, Paris Saint-Germain was proactive to begin the second leg.
In the 37th minute, Neymar curled a right-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box off the crossbar. Moments later, the Brazilian had another shot hit off the post.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored five minutes before half time to give Bayern the lead. Despite a spirited show in the second half, the Bavarians couldn’t find another goal.
Bayern will have to console themselves with trying to win a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title, and will wonder what might have been had the prolific Robert Lewandowski, or Serge Gnabry, been available for the two legs of this tie.
Bayern’s captain and goalkeeper in a post-match interview said, “It wasn’t tonight that saw us knocked out,” Neuer said. “It’s annoying, especially when you look at the first game where we missed a lot of chances and conceded too many goals. It’s difficult when you play against such a great team. We still had a top team on the pitch that gave everything.”
“The 1-0 win here was deserved but it was the result in Munich (3-2 loss) which wasn’t good. We were in a bad position at kick-off,” he further added.
The dream of winning their first Champions League is well and truly alive for PSG. Mauricio Pochettino’s have already eliminated Barcelona in the last 16 and will now face either Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund in the semis.
