Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5-4 in an epic first leg of the Champions League semi-final, with Hviča Kvaratscheria and Ousmane Dembele scoring twice each, making it a special encounter that was the highest ever for this stage of the competition.
It was a frenetic first half alone on Tuesday night, with Harry Kane’s penalty putting Bayern ahead, but Kvaratschelia equalized before Joao Neves headed in ahead at a frenetic Parc des Princes.
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Michael Oliseh’s goal made it 2-2, but Dembele’s penalty in first-half stoppage time gave the reigning champions a lead just before the end of the first half.
Kvaratschelia and Dembele, arguably the standout players in this season’s Champions League, scored again and it looked like PSG would be out of sight, but Dayot Upamecano pulled one back and Luis Diaz made it 5-4.
With an unforgettable match, perhaps even better than last season’s semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona, the match between the continent’s two best teams at the moment is setting the stage for next Wednesday’s return to the Allianz Arena, with a place in the final in Budapest on May 30th at stake.
Luis Enrique’s Parisians will return to Munich, the venue of their 5-0 win over Inter in last year’s final, with the advantage, but Bayern will be confident of overturning the narrow lead at home.
The French champions are aiming to become only the second team in the modern Champions League era to retain the trophy, while the German champions are hoping to reach their first final since 2020, when they defeated PSG to lift the trophy for the sixth time.
Vincent Kompany’s side arrived in Paris having scored 167 goals this season, led by the remarkable Kane who scored 53 goals in 45 appearances.
The draw left a lot to be desired after Bayern’s impressive quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, but it quickly became a classic with both teams showing off their firepower.
Bayern took the lead in the 17th minute when Willian Pacho brought down Dias, and Kane made no mistake converting the resulting penalty to take his 54th goal of the season.
The visitors won 2-1 here in November’s league game thanks to a double by Diaz, and this time they were the better team early on.
However, their front-foot approach left them vulnerable to counter-attacks and Dembele should have equalized before scoring the equalizer just after the midway point of the first half.
Kvaratschelia’s genius on the wing has been the difference for PSG lately, as he swung past Josip Stanisic on the left, cut inside and fired a shot into the far corner.
Kvaratschelia’s classic goal was followed by Neves’ header from Dembele’s corner in the 33rd minute.
However, France international Olise raced toward the PSG goal and scored his 20th goal of the season to make it 2-2. The match had just begun.
PSG earned a penalty towards the end of the first half when Dembele’s cross hit Alphonso Davies in the arm, making the Canadian player’s first start in the Champions League this season after his injury.
The decision was made by the Swiss referee after a VAR check, with Dembele beating Manuel Neuer to make it 3-2 at the interval. After the restart, PSG extended their lead even further, leaving Bayern stunned.
Achraf Hakimi’s assist pushed Kvaratskhelia in the 56th minute to make it 4-2, giving the Georgian his seventh goal in seven games in the knockout phase.
Bayern were unable to recover, but Dembele surprised Neuer with a low shot that hit the near post, his second of the night, to make it 5-2.
But that wasn’t the end for Bayern, as Upamecano headed home Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick to make it 5-3, giving Kompany’s team their 170th goal of the season.
Diaz, who was sent off in the November encounter, then played over the top and dribbled past Marquinhos to score the winning goal of the night.
Kompany, who was watching from the stands due to suspension, would have been pleased with his team’s reaction, even if he was relieved to see PSG’s Seni Mayur’s second-half shot bounce off Neuer’s crossbar.
Kane told reporters after the game that he was proud of his teammates for fighting back to equalize.
“This shows the character of our team. What happened to us this season was that we bounced back from a slump. It’s good to know we can do it at the highest level as well,” he said.
“I think we left here knowing we could hurt them.”
Atlético Madrid host Arsenal in the first leg of the other semi-final on Wednesday night.
