Back in the Champions League Final
LIVE: It’s underway! Who will advance to the final?
Paris Saint-Germain is back in the Champions League final! The defending champions secured a 1-1 draw at FC Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. The French side had won the first leg 5-4. PSG will now face Arsenal in the final on May 30 at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
World Player of the Year Ousmane Dembele scored in the 3rd minute after PSG’s 5-4 win in the first leg; Bayern, with Konrad Laimer, were unable to equalize. Harry Kane didn’t score the equalizer until the 94th minute.
For Germany’s champions, led by coach Vincent Kompany, the dream of a treble ended prematurely. Kane and his teammates couldn’t find a way to break down the visitors’ compact defense. Unlike in the first leg, PSG showed almost no defensive weaknesses.
Dembele gives PSG a lightning start
The Champions League goal machines quickly lived up to their reputation in Munich as well, seeming to pick up right where they left off eight days ago in the nine-goal spectacle in Paris. It took less than three minutes for the first goal to be scored. Fabian Ruiz, who had slipped into the starting lineup, outmaneuvered Bayern’s back four with a one-two with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; the Georgian looked up and found Dembele, who hammered the ball straight down the middle and under the crossbar. At the site of last year’s triumph against Inter Milan, PSG was on track. The early lead would play into the visitors’ hands.
Laimer also came up short on the 0-1 goal. The Salzburg native started on the right side of the back four this time and faced a difficult task against Kvaratskhelia, but he repeatedly managed to get involved in the attack. Bayern were eager to force an equalizer quickly. After a pressing situation, Michael Olise was just barely blocked as he attempted a shot on goal. Luis Diaz danced past Warren Zaire-Emery, who had come on in place of the injured Achraf Hakimi, but shot well wide of the far post. Olise curled the ball over the crossbar after his trademark cutback.
Commotion after handballby
There was a flurry of excitement in the stands and on the Bayern bench after half an hour. While clearing the ball, Vitinha struck teammate Joao Neves on the arm inside the penalty area. Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro ruled that a penalty was not to be awarded, as the contact was made by a teammate, in accordance with the rules. Shortly afterward, Neves tried a header in the Bayern penalty area, but Manuel Neuer saved his team from falling behind 0-2. At the end of a frantic first half, it was Jamal Musiala who found himself with plenty of space but was denied by Matvey Safonov in the PSG goal.
It was Bayern’s only shot on goal before the break. The Munich side needed to step up their offensive efforts. PSG—once again on the verge of winning the Ligue 1 title—continued to deny any shots on their own goal and delivered dangerous stings with fast-paced counterattacks. As a result, Neuer had to dive twice to make saves against Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue. Bayern ran into the Parisians’ compact block to no avail. The unstoppable Kvaratskhelia had the chance to seal the win ten minutes before the end of regulation time, but kept Bayern’s hopes alive.
After his shot in the 88th minute, Laimer once again claimed a handball penalty, but the VAR rightly did not intervene. Bayern were allowed to hope once more, but only briefly, as Kane successfully scored his 55th goal of the season. However, a “lucky punch” was not to follow for the Munich side.
Final score:
Bayern Munich (with Laimer) – Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 (0-1)
Goals: Kane (94th) and Dembele (3rd)
First leg 4:5, PSG advances to the final with an aggregate score of 6:5.
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