The match, which produced five goals in the first half and four more in the second, and featured some of the most exhilarating end-to-end action in recent years, has been hailed as the greatest UEFA Champions League semi-final ever.
Even before kick-off, Tuesday’s semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich was expected to be a goal fest, but pundits and fans alike were left stunned by the quality of football that saw those nine goals wiped out.
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In his post-match analysis for CBS Sports, soccer great Thierry Henry called the match, which ended in a 5-4 PSG win, “pure cinema.”
“Rest in peace to those who missed this match,” said the former France talisman.
“This is football at its finest. It’s pure cinema. End to end, no breaks, no time to catch your breath… You can blink and you’ll miss something.”
It took 17 minutes for in-form striker Harry Kane to put Bayern Munich ahead from the penalty spot against the title holders, but the hosts equalized seven minutes later with a one-on-one between Hviča Kvaratschelia and Josip Stanisic. Bayern’s right-back was left stunned as Kvaratschelia curled a superb curling shot inside the right post of the German team goal.
Both teams pushed for the lead and Joao Neves delighted the home fans with a header from a corner in the 33rd minute.
Eight minutes later, Bayern equalized with their second goal, which was another highlight. Michael Olysse wasted the opportunity and smashed the ball through the PSG defense and into the goal.
Henry, who is considered one of the greatest players in soccer history, said Oliseh was a “special” player.
“To see Nuno Mendes (PSG’s left-back), who has been guarding wingers all season, suddenly struggling with Michael Oliseh… that kid is special,” said the former Arsenal stalwart.
“On the other hand, Luis Diaz never stops running… I think (Achraf) Hakimi never stops breathing. And Kvara (Kvaratsheria)… everything he touches looks dangerous.
“[Ousmane]Dembele is playing freely and doing what he wants… it’s ridiculous. And in the middle of it, Vicinha is controlling everything as if it’s his playground.”
There was one more goal left in the first half, but Ballon d’Or winner Dembele converted from the spot to push his team back in front.
The first-half action alone was enough to convince Bastian Schweinsteiger that he was witnessing “the best Champions League game in years”.
The long-time former Bayern player posted a selfie in the German club’s shirt while waiting for the second half.
“This game had it all.”
Eleven minutes into the second half, Kvaratskhelia became the top scorer again when the Georgian forward broke free in front of goal from a pass from Hakimi and sent the ball into the net.
Two minutes later, Dembele further cemented PSG’s lead by deceiving two Bayern defenders and slotting the ball into Manuel Neuer’s goal.
The former Manchester United defender said the game was a perfect display of one-on-one football, with the four wingers running around defenders at both ends of the pitch.
The visiting team was able to score two goals. Dayot Upamecano scored the first goal in the 65th minute with a free-kick header, and in the 68th minute the Colombian balanced a perfect long pass from Kane to score from close range, with Luis Diaz scoring.
No further goals were scored in the final 25 minutes, but both teams stayed close and captivated those lucky enough to watch the game unfold in real time.
“This game had everything,” Henry said after the game. “To be honest… this should have been the Champions League final because they are the most exciting team in Europe right now.”
“We dream of a match like this.”
Players and coaches from both teams agreed with Henry, with Dembele, who was named player of the match, calling it an “unbelievable game”.
“These are two great teams who are aggressive and don’t doubt themselves. This is the semi-final of the Champions League. We know Bayern are a great team and so are we,” the coach said after the match.
PSG coach Luis Enrique was exhausted just watching from the sideline.
“I was so tired I didn’t even run a kilometer,” he said. “So I don’t know how the players feel.”
France defender Marquinhos told Canal+ that he is “living the dream” in the thriller.
“I’m sure all the soccer fans enjoyed watching the game,” he said.
“I was really happy to be on the pitch and play in this game. We dream of games like this all year long, all through our childhood…These two teams have a mentality of never giving up, always pushing, always moving forward.”
For Bayern’s top scorer this season, Kane, it was a match between top football teams.
“We saw two high-level teams in terms of offensive play and transition,” Kane told Prime.
“We fought, we battled and we got back on level terms… We have nothing to lose so we go to Allianz. We are at our best when we work hard and physically. It’s about who seizes the moment next week. With the crowd behind us, we hope it can get us over the line.”
The second semi-final will be played in Munich on Wednesday, with the team with the lead on aggregate score at the end of the match qualifying for the final to be held in Hungary on May 30th.
