Unforgettable. History was made in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, with nine goals hitting the back of the net in a 5-4 PSG victory at home over Bayern Munich. Neither manager may be too happy with their defenses, but for viewing purposes, we got to witness the Marvel vs. Capcom equivalent of soccer’s best meeting for a clash that had everything you could have wanted.
Ousmane Dembele and Harry Kane both scored and assisted goals, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a brace of his own, and Michael Olise showcased his footwork in a game where every time you blinked, another goal was scored. The most goals ever scored in a Champions League semifinal tie across both legs is 13, a record shared by Barcelona versus Inter last year and Liverpool’s tie with Roma in the 2017-18 campaign, but this one may just beat it.
Both teams also chase a record held by Barcelona in 1999-2000 for the most goals ever in a single Champions League season of 45 goals. While the introduction of the league phase has added more goals thanks to more games, the fact that PSG have scored 43 goals and Bayern have scored 42 shows just how high-powered these offenses have been, especially when the number three team in this campaign is Atletico Madrid, scoring 34 goals in one fewer match played.
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This tie had the makings of a final, and it would be hard not to consider the winner of this tie to be the favorite to win the entire competition. Former Bayern defender Philip Lahm warned that the Bavarians would need to win their individual duels in order to get past a team with PSG’s attacking talent, and they were so close to doing that, but games like this also show that Manuel Neuer is a 40-year-old in net. Making no saves and allowing five goals on an xG faced of 2.61, Neuer at his best would’ve kept Bayern level or better in the match, but it was instead last-ditch defending and a big miss by Dembele that made the difference.
At the end of the first half, a handball call on Alphonso Davies that wouldn’t have been called in the Premier League due to coming off his thigh before hitting his outstretched hand was controversial, but Matvey Safonov did just enough to keep PSG in the lead before a second leg where you can expect more of the same in Munich.
We’re all the winners of being able to witness that tie, as both of these teams will likely play with 90 minutes or more of the same. Vincent Kompany will be back from his suspension, and there’s a chance that Bayern could get an attacking lift if Lennart Karl recovers from his muscular injury in time. Bayern were limited in attacking subs and only made three substitutions during the entire match, which, if extra time is needed in Munich after a match of this pace, they won’t be able to withstand PSG’s depth at that point.
There’s a reason why Luis Enrique’s team are defending UCL champions, and he’s also establishing himself as one of the greatest modern managers by winning the treble with two different clubs, a feat only accomplished by one other man, and that’s Pep Guardiola. Looking at the above xG race chart, PSG were able to bend without breaking and then hit back when it mattered. When you have the best shooters in the world, a team can do that without fear, and PSG have the confidence that Bayern are looking to show themselves.
Enrique was happy with the intensity that his team showed following the match, which is easier to do after a win, and now it’s about replicating this cinema on Wednesday, live on Paramount+. These are two of the best teams in the world, and this stage of the Champions League is about sitting back and enjoying this.
