Although the Champions League knockout stage may be beginning, Paris Saint-situation Germain’s appears to remain unchanged.
The French team has failed to go past the round of 16 four times in the last six seasons, and after losing 1-0 in the first leg against Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes, they may suffer the same fate this time around.
Kingsley Coman, who also handed PSG a 1-0 loss in the Champions League final two and a half years ago, scored the game’s lone goal on Tuesday in Paris, giving Bayern the advantage going into the second leg on March 8 in Munich.
In the first few minutes of the second half, Coman, who was unmarked in the PSG box, volleyed Alphonso Davies’ cross under Gianluigi Donnarumma, giving the German champion the advantage in possession.
Kylian Mbappé, a star striker for PSG who had been dealing with a thigh ailment prior to the game, entered the game as a response.
Mbappé, who has scored the most goals in the Champions League this year, attempted to equalise by getting behind the Bayern defence but Yann Sommer saved his shot.
A few minutes later, he had the ball in the net, but the video assistant referee ruled that Nuno Mendes was offside during the buildup.
Mendes was proving to be a lively presence on the left wing by this point, and PSG had begun to come to life. The Portuguese international found Lionel Messi open in the box with six minutes left after eluding Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich, but Benjamin Pavard’s stunning block prevented an equaliser.
While PSG continued to create opportunities, Pavard was dismissed after collecting a second caution for a late challenge on Messi. The defender will miss the second leg in Munich in three weeks even though it had no effect on the final score.
Afterwards, Mbappé told reporters, “We said we have to accept the positives, it’s a two-legged tie.” “What happened in the first leg cannot be changed. To be eligible, we’ll travel there. We are aware that it could happen. There is always a chance of being accepted.
While the loss brought back memories of PSG’s past failures in the Champions League, fans also got a look into the future as Warren Zare-Emery, at the age of 16 years and 343 days, became the youngest player to start a knockout stage game in the league.
More than a year after the 35-year-old Messi made his Champions League debut, the midfielder was born in 2006.
PSG will play Lille in the league on Sunday in an effort to get its season back on track after losses to Monaco and Marseille put them at three straight losses for the first time since 2020.
Bayern, on the other hand, has won all seven of its games in the Champions League this year and will be optimistic about making it to the quarterfinals before the second leg.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann declared, “Overall, we performed a terrific job. “Now that we’ve taken the first step, we want to take the next one.”
Brahim Dáz’s early goal gave AC Milan a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Tuesday’s other Champions League match at the San Siro, giving the Italian team an advantage in its quest to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.