Kingsley Coman haunted Paris Saint-Germain again as his goal saw Bayern Munich secure a first leg victory in the Champions League Round of 16 at the Parc des Princes.
Coman – who netted the winner against his former club in the final three years ago – fired Bayern into the lead early in the second half, while Gianluigi Donnarumma would have been less than happy with his attempts to keep it out.
Bayern were comfortably the better side throughout most of the match but PSG, who were dismal for the opening hour, staged a late rally with Kylian Mbappe – a second half substitute after a surprise return to fitness in time to feature – netting an offside goal and Yann Sommer making several important saves. Benjamin Pavard was sent off late on for a second yellow, but Bayern held on for the win.
Here are five talking points from a finely-poised Champions League tie.
Coman haunts PSG again
Kingsley Coman made four first-team appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, his hometown club. Yet like so many other homegrown talents, he was allowed to slip through their fingers as the club pursued superstars from elsewhere.
Coman has since thrived at Juventus and then Bayern, where he netted the winner in the Champions League final – ironically against PSG. He hurt them again by opening the scoring in this Round of 16 tie, with an eerily similar goal.
This was from the other side of the pitch but Coman drifted in unmarked at the back post to fire Bayern into the lead and leave PSG with more regrets.
PSG’s poor form continues
Paris Saint-Germain have lost four matches since the turn of the year and are in a prolonged slump of form post World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar have been a shadow of their pre-tournament form and all is not well in Paris.
There are consistent indications of internal feuds within the dressing room and they appear to be fractured and divided.
This was an anaemic performance with Bayern dominant on and off the ball. While this tie is far from settled, the performance from the German champions gave much more reason for hope than that of the Ligue 1 leaders.
No Mbappe, no party
That Kylian Mbappe played any part in this match at all was a minor miracle – he was expected to be out of action for another week but had a rushed return to action to play his part in this game.
Without the Frenchman’s pace and directness, PSG’s tempo was far off that of their opponents. His introduction after the hour mark, despite lacking full match fitness, brought an immediate improvement.
Mbappe is the talisman of this team, the superstar. His introduction brought a palpable attacking threat, ensured Bayern’s backline dropped deeper and brought opportunities for PSG. His fitness for the return leg is absolutely crucial for their hopes of progression.
Bayern give mixed signals
This has been a strange campaign for Bayern Munich, topping the Bundesliga and progressing through the Champions League group stage with ease but being unconvincing for large stages.
This match was almost a microcosm of their season – all the positive signs were there for the majority of the match but they failed to put their opponents to bed and a sloppy period in the game almost saw them punished.
Bayern are undoubtedly among this season’s Champions League favourites, as ever, but there remain clear vulnerabilities in this side.
Zaire-Emery makes European history
Warren Zaire-Emery, at the age of 16 years and 343 days, became the first player to ever start in a knockout match of the Champions League in the competition’s history.
It was just the teenager’s fourth start of his senior career – with each of his two inclusions in Ligue 1 matches seeing PSG crash to defeats, at Rennes and Monaco respectively. He undoubtedly has a huge future in front of him, but this was too big a stage for him to make a meaningful impression just yet.
