Paris: Paris Saint-Germain made their way into the semifinals of the Champions League, courtesy away goals despite a 0-1 second-leg loss to Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday (14 April). The tie, which finished 3-3 on aggregate was a replay of the previous season’s finale.
Bayern, who were without injured striker Robert Lewandowski for both legs, had a better game in the opening half an hour or more so, but PSG created the best chances, as Neymar hit the bar twice after beating Manuel Neuer.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gave his team a lead when he jumped first to head home a rebound after Keylor Navas was forced to make a difficult save that he deflected high into the air in the six-yard box.
Neymar again came agonisingly close in the 54th minute when Angel Di Maria rolled the ball across an open goalmouth after some fine display of footwork on the right. But the PSG No.10 couldn’t get a touch despite a desperate stretch.
Kylian Mbappe emphatically scored from a breakaway, but the France international was rightly flagged for offside after the play ended. Bayern pushed for a winning goal and flooded the PSG half with attacks, but the home side held their ground and would play the winner between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals of the tournament
“Normally, my team has so much quality in the final third, but today they were lacking that final punch. We have to accept that, even though we would have liked a different outcome,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his side’s fighting spirit and said, “We were very focused. It was a really tough match — I’m really happy because the players deserve big credit. To win and qualify for the semifinals is an amazing moment for us.”
