Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele on Tuesday scored twice each as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in an epic first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final — the highest-scoring match ever at this stage of the competition.
However, Vincent Kompany, barred from the touchline while serving a one-game suspension, might have been the only spectator who did not enjoy the thriller, as he sat with staff in the media seats wearing an earpiece.
“It’s no fun,” Kompany told Prime Video. “If it never happens again, I’ll be satisfied.”
Photo: AFP
The twists and turns of the match were clear on Kompany’s face. With assistant Aaron Danks taking charge on the touchline, Kompany was sharing smiles and handshakes with staff in the first half, but was stone-faced as his team slumped to 5-2 down before charging back into the contest.
“I can’t take decisions 80m away, but I appreciated the way the players responded, from high up in the stands,” Kompany said.
His PSG counterpart Luis Enrique had a different view from the sideline, proclaiming it the best game he had ever coached.
Photo: AFP
In the past, Luis Enrique had occasionally taken a seat in the stands of his own free will to get a tactical view of the game, but Kompany was not convinced.
“I don’t know why. I wouldn’t do that,” the Belgian coach said.
The first half alone was crazy, with Harry Kane giving Bayern the lead from a penalty, only for Kvaratskhelia to equalize before Joao Neves headed the hosts in front at an enthralled Parc des Princes.
Michael Olise made it 2-2, but a Dembele penalty in first-half stoppage-time had the reigning champions back ahead at the interval.
Kvaratskhelia, surely the standout player in this season’s Champions League, and Dembele both then scored again to have hosts PSG seemingly out of sight, only for Dayot Upamecano to pull one back before Luis Diaz made it 5-4.
An unforgettable game — perhaps better even than last season’s semi-final between Inter and Barcelona — leaves the tie between the continent’s two best teams of the moment wonderfully poised for next week’s return at the Allianz Arena, with a place in the final in Budapest on May 30 on the line.
“I’m sure everyone who loves football really enjoyed watching that. It was a real pleasure to play in that game, the kind of game we dream of playing in as kids,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.
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