PSG extinguished and logically beaten by Bayern Munich, but still alive in the round of 16

Paris did not shine, but avoided the worst. In its crucial shock against Bayern Munich, in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, PSG lost by the smallest of margins at the Parc des Princes (0-1), Tuesday, February 14, on a goal from its former offspring Kingsley Coman (54th). The eagerly awaited jump did not come, but there is still hope, three weeks before the return match in Bavaria.

The proof, the PSG showed in the last twenty minutes of play that it was able to give cold sweats to the Bavarian rearguard, like the red card received by Benjamin Pavard at the very end of the match (90th ). Replacing because “too fair” according to his coach Christophe Galtier, Kylian Mbappé almost changed everything after coming into play in the 57th minute. After coming up against Yann Sommer in a duel (73rd), the French international thought he equalized by victoriously taking over a center back from Nuno Mendes (82nd) ​​but the latter was flagged offside by the VAR.

No blunder before Bavaria

Without this late awakening, the Parisian players had left to make one of their paler offensive performances of the season. It took more than 70 minutes to witness the first real opportunity, that of Kylian Mbappé. Symbol of this shy evening, the first period gave birth to only one Parisian shot, on a free kick badly shot by Lionel Messi just before returning to the locker room (45th).

The most pessimistic will notice that, for the first time in its history in the Champions League, Paris failed to score a single goal in the round of 16. But, others will especially note the reprieve granted to this team, struggling in 2023, with already four defeats in just eleven games. On the forecourt of the Parc des Princes, most supporters expected a severe correction. It was enough to strain your ears to grasp the fear of the crowd before the match: “3-0 Bayern tonight, if I have to be honest”, “we are really not optimistic”.

However, halfway through the race, Paris is still alive and has only one goal to go back to its opponent. In 2020, the players of the capital had managed to get out of it after a defeat in the round of 16 first leg against a German club, overthrowing Borussia Dortmund in the return (at home of course). This meeting had then served as a trigger and Paris Saint-Germain had managed to chart its course to the final.