Kingsley Coman’s goal handed Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round of-16 encounter on Tuesday at Parc des Princes. For the best sports betting casinos make sure to check CasinoDaddy!
After Coman’s 53rd-minute goal, Bayern had opportunities to increase their lead. Bayern controlled much of the game. Leo Messi and Neymar, for example, had been having trouble getting into the game up until that moment, and it was Kylian Mbappe’s entrance in the second half that helped the hosts regain the upper hand.
Due to offside, Mbappe had two goals disallowed, while Messi had a chance well blocked by Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard. However, Pavard’s late dismissal for a second bookable offense was the lone blemish on an otherwise almost faultless evening for Bayern Munich under Julian Nagelsmann. If PSG and manager Christophe Galtier are to overcome this deficit in Munich for the second leg on March 8, they have a lot of work to do.
Successful execution of Bayern Munich’s strategy secures victory.
Bayern had perfect control of the game for almost 75 minutes. Joshua Kimmich of Bayern had the only chance for either team in the first half, but the visitors’ staunch defense kept PSG from getting into the game. They tested PSG with jabs for the first 45 minutes, pushing and pulling them, but they didn’t start launching haymakers until the beginning of the second half.
Coman, a former PSG player who also scored the game-winning goal in the 2020 Champions League final between the two sides, delivered the decisive blow. Coman was unmarked when Alphonso Davies’ cross from the bench after the break found him, and he side-footed it home beneath Gianluigi Donnarumma. Bayern walked back to the halfway line and began to organize another series of expertly planned assaults while Coman chose not to celebrate and the fans became silent. We suggest you check 18bet out!
This provided Bayern with the opportunity to come close once again through Donnarumma, who pushed a header from Eric Choupo-Moting into the post and sent a close-range header from a corner straight at the Italian goalkeeper. With Jamal Musiala sliding deep to snag a loose ball when necessary and Kimmich and Leon Goretzka stifling the middle of the pitch, they had control of the situation. The PSG defense was forced out of place by Choupo-movement Moting’s upfront, which also helped Coman find space for the opening goal.
In other words, PSG didn’t have a chance for almost 75 minutes until they released Mbappe. VAR again saved Bayern after Mbappe’s two strikes were disallowed for offside. The first was clear; following his break, Yann Sommer successfully blocked a shot from close range. Then Sommer deflected Neymar’s rebound attempt into Mbappe’s path, but the latter was significantly offside. Mbappe scored from close range once more, and VAR once more decided the outcome by the thinnest of margins. In the 84th minute, Lionel Messi finally had a good opportunity, but Pavard made a crucial block.
Mbappe was unable to turn around a PSG team that seemed adrift without him.
Mbappe was given a three-week treatment schedule after suffering a hamstring injury at the beginning of February. Mbappe, however, is not like other sportsmen, and at the hour mark, he was prepared to enter the game and save PSG.
PSG didn’t create any halfway respectable scoring opportunities at that point, as seen by their dismal expected goals, or xG, of 0.04. Their star power had failed, and the only thing threatening Sommer’s focus on goal was the smoke from the flares Bayern supporters had set.
In a word, PSG’s first half was atrocious. They didn’t even pose much of a danger, but Messi’s drive straight at the wall after they botched a free kick where Neymar dummied on the outside of the box. It encapsulated how useless and hapless their first 45 minutes had been. Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, and 16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery, who became the youngest player to ever start a knockout match in the men’s Champions League, were left in isolation as Neymar pressured and Messi appeared upset.
Mbappe did give PSG a boost, and the hosts’ late siege on Bayern’s goal was motivated by his speed and mobility. It was still a stunning cameo, even if he was only partially healthy, and Bayern will be fully aware of his threat when they clash again in Munich. Though they have enough star power to compete with the best in Europe, PSG should be concerned that they were so feeble without Mbappe. Without him, they resembled a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive one.
For Bayern Munich, the evening was almost ideal. But Pavard’s late red card somewhat altered the outcome of this draw.
He is essential to Nagelsmann’s three-man defense on the right side, and he did a fantastic job of keeping Neymar quiet for the majority of the game. But his careless challenge on Messi in stoppage time cost the match, as he received a second caution on top of the one for tackling Neymar in the first half.
In January, Bayern Munich made some good team improvements. They brought in Yann Sommer and Joao Cancelo, respectively, to fill in for injured starter Manuel Neuer and left-back Lucas Hernandez. But Pavard will be hard to replace if Nagelsmann sticks with his three-man center defense.
Bayern may go to a back four for the second leg, or Nagelsmann may decide to insert Daley Blind on the outside of a back three, but the manager could do without the hassle.
