Bayern want to go straight to the Champions League knockout stage. To do that, they have to be in the top 8. After Kim’s first goal against Paris Saint-Germain, the goal is within reach again.
FC Bayern Munich opened its landmark top game week with a very important victory in the Champions League classic against Paris Saint-Germain. After the narrow but well-deserved 1-0 (1-0) win, courtesy of defender Minjae Kim’s first Champions League goal (38th minute), the German record champions are back in the running for a place in the top eight and a direct place in the last sixteen after three out of five games. However, further wins must follow.
After the seventh clean sheet in a row, coach Vincent Kompany and his team can go into the big tests against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga next Saturday and against title defenders Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Cup with an even broader chest. PSG, on the other hand, are in danger of being knocked out of the Champions League at an early stage after the league phase with just four points.
Yellow-red for Dembele, Musiala hits the post
Kim’s goal decided the game. The second key scene was the sending off of PSG striker Ousmane Dembelé. The former Dortmund player, already booked, made a forceful challenge on Bayern defender Alphonso Davies in the 56th minute. The consequence was a second yellow card.
With a man advantage, Bayern tried to score the decisive 2-0, but without losing control defensively. Jamal Musiala shot crashing against the post (74th minute), and the hosts played out a few counterattacks poorly. As a result, it remained exciting until injury time.
“It won’t be boring,” Bayern coach Kompany had predicted before the showdown between two possession teams. And so it was. The 75,000 spectators in the sold-out stadium saw fast-paced, competitive football. Both teams constantly wanted the ball, with Bayern being more purposeful in possession. As early as the 7th minute, national player Jamal Musiala could have scored for the hosts after being played in by Joshua Kimmich. But PSG goalkeeper Matwei Safonow made a brilliant save.
Final hero as an asset
It was different in Munich, where Bayern took a 1-0 lead. Kimmich’s corner was poorly cleared by the 25-year-old Russian, allowing Kim to score his first Champions League goal. The lead was well deserved. Kingsley Coman was an asset in Bayern’s offense.
The Paris-born and PSG-trained winger, who headed the winning goal in the 2020 Lisbon final against his former club in the Munich club’s 2020 Champions League triumph, had numerous good moments. What was missing was the crowning finish, once after a fine solo effort (28th), then after an ideal shooting position on a pass from Harry Kane (66th).
The Englishman was mainly an offensive and defensive worker for his team on Tuesday evening, four days after his hat-trick in the 3-0 win against FC Augsburg. The pressure of having to win did not paralyze Bayern, though. The defense around scorer Kim and Dayot Upemacano was stable again and hardly allowed PSG any chances. 18-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery missed the goal (29th), and Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer easily parried a shot from Dembelé (32nd).