Paris St-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in Champions League classic
Paris St-Germain secured a breathless 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final first leg following a remarkably clinical attacking display in the French capital.
The nine-goal thriller leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of next week’s return fixture at the Allianz Arena.
Vincent Kompany’s visitors dominated possession and underlying statistics but were ultimately undone by ruthless finishing.
The hosts managed just five shots on target throughout the entire contest.
Incredibly, every single one of those accurate efforts nestled in the back of the net.
Kvaratskhelia and Dembele lead the charge
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia proved to be a constant menace for the Parisian outfit.
The Georgian winger lashed in two magnificent strikes, capitalising on assists from team-mates Désiré Doué and Achraf Hakimi.
Ousmane Dembélé matched his attacking partner’s tally with a crucial brace of his own.
The French international powered a first-half penalty past Manuel Neuer before sealing his second with a breakaway finish after the interval.
Such a counter-attacking approach is a rarity for the Ligue 1 leaders.
They typically boast a 69% possession rate domestically, yet saw just 42% of the ball against the German heavyweights.
Kompany’s high-risk tactical gamble
Bayern arrived in Paris with an unapologetically aggressive game plan.
Their manager opted for an extraordinarily high defensive line, hoping Dayot Upamecano could extinguish counter-attacks in isolated duels.
Statistically, the Bavarian side were overwhelmingly dominant across the pitch.
They won 68% of ground duels and registered nearly double the expected goals of their opponents.
The six-time European champions also managed 198 touches in the attacking third compared to a mere 92 from the hosts.
Yet those impressive metrics offer little comfort as they return to Germany trailing in the tie.
Analytics experts currently give the French giants a 61% probability of reaching the final despite Bayern’s formidable attacking output.
