Thu, Feb 16, 2023 page16

• Bayern top PSG, AC Milan edge Spurs

  DISAPPOINTING RETURN: PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, and the entire stadium, thought he had equalized with 8 minutes left in the game, but the goal was ruled out

  • AFP, PARIS
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  Kingsley Coman on Tuesday scored the only goal of the game as Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, while Brahim Diaz shot AC Milan to a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

  The unmarked Coman swept in an Alphonso Davies cross 8 minutes into the second half at the Parc des Princes, just as Kylian Mbappe was preparing to enter the fray on his return from injury after PSG had appeared devoid of ideas without their top scorer.

  Mbappe, and the entire stadium, thought he had equalized with 8 minutes remaining when he turned in a Nuno Mendes cutback, but the goal was ruled out because the Portuguese fullback was just ahead of the last defender at the start of the move.

  

  AC Milan’s Brahim Diaz, left, celebrates scoring with teammate Theo Hernandez in their UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday.

  Photo: AFP

  Bayern finished the game with 10 men after Benjamin Pavard was sent off, but it was a frustrating ending for PSG.

  The French giants looked much better in the latter stages with Mbappe on the field, but also needed fine saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma to prevent a bigger deficit.

  PSG must hope they can turn the tie around in the second leg in Munich on March 8.

  

  Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, center, vies for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti, right, in their UEFA Champions League match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Tuesday.

  Photo: Reuters

  “We are at a disadvantage, but we saw that we were capable of causing them problems, and now we just need to make sure all our players are in good health and we will go there to try to qualify,” said Mbappe, who had another goal ruled out for a clear offside.

  Coman, who started his career at PSG, did not celebrate his goal, but it was a case of history repeating itself — he had been the matchmaker when Bayern beat the Qatar-owned club in the 2019-2020 final in Lisbon to become European champions for the sixth time.

  “It was a bit strange. I grew up at this club, in this city, I was born here, so it was difficult to celebrate, but at the end we are really pleased with the victory,” Coman said.

  Mbappe’s fitness had dominated the buildup to the game, with the France superstar initially ruled out because of a thigh injury before making a faster-than-expected return to training and being named in the squad.

  He was named among the substitutes, while Warren Zaire-Emery, at 16 years and 343 days old, became the youngest player ever to start a Champions League knockout game.

  In Tuesday’s other game, Diaz’s goal for Milan gave the seven-time European kings control of their Champions League last-16 tie.

  Diaz bundled in the only goal of the game in the seventh minute at a packed San Siro to give Milan the advantage before next month’s second leg in London.

  The Spaniard’s strike was the first and one of very few real chances in a scrappy game that highlighted the far-from-sparkling form of both teams heading into match.

  “I’s really happy for the team, because we did great work all week,” Diaz told Mediaset. “We’ve been through some difficult situations, but now we need to look forward ... now we need to think about Serie A and then we can think about the game in London.”

  Milan came into their first knockout in the competition since 2014 with their season in the balance after a horrible run of results in the past month, which left their Serie A title defense in tatters.

  However, the Italians have a decent chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2011-2012 after restricting injury-hit Spurs to very little on manager Antonio Conte’s return to Milan.

  Conte, in the Spurs dugout two weeks after undergoing gallbladder surgery, handed the midfield reins to youngsters Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr after losing Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma to injury last week.

  His team failed to supply their record scorer Harry Kane with any service, Milan having great chances in quick succession late in the second half to extend their aggregate lead which were fluffed by Charles de Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw.

  “We could have scored two more goals, but the game was hard-fought, they caused us problems,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli told Mediaset. “It’s only the first leg, the second will be even harder.”
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