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04/28 17:04 CDT Goals galore as PSG beats Bayern Munich 5-4 in record-setting
Champions League semifinal 1st leg
Goals galore as PSG beats Bayern Munich 5-4 in record-setting Champions League
semifinal 1st leg
By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- Titleholder Paris Saint-Germain trailed early, led by three
goals and ultimately held on for a pulsating 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the
highest-scoring semifinal match in Champions League history on Tuesday.
And there's still next week's second leg to come.
PSG built a 5-2 lead early in the second half thanks to two goals each from
flying winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembl at Parc des Princes.
"We deserved to win, we deserved to lose, we deserved to draw," PSG coach Luis
Enrique said. "It was an exceptional match, I have never experienced a match of
such intensity as a coach. I have never seen a rhythm like that, it was
incredible, you have to congratulate all the players."
Down by three goals, Bayern fought back brilliantly.
Defender Dayot Upamecano's header midway through the second half from Joshua
Kimmich's free kick gave Bayern hope and Luis Daz's stinging strike made it a
one-goal deficit heading into next Wednesday's return leg in Munich.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was suspended, so assistant Aaron Danks took over
on the touchline as Bayern lost for the first time in any competition since
Jan. 24.
Harry Kane's penalty gave Bayern the lead in the 17th minute and Kvaratskhelia
equalized soon after for PSG. Midfielder Joao Neves --- who is 5-foot-7 ---
then headed PSG ahead from a corner.
A dramatic first half saw Michael Olise equalize for Bayern after bursting into
the area before Swiss referee Sandro Schrer awarded a penalty for PSG when a
video review spotted a handball from Canada defender Alphonso Davies.
PSG's penalty was contested by Bayern's players. Davies turned his body to
Dembl's right-wing cross but the ball bounced off his hip and hit his arm.
Although Davies was turning away from play he failed to keep his hands behind
his back.
Dembl fired the penalty past Manuel Neuer --- who guessed the right way ---
to send PSG ahead 3-2 at the break.
"Two great teams who attack and don't question themselves," Dembl said. "It
was an incredible match, but now we go to Munich to qualify. We won't change
our way of playing, and it will be two teams who attack."
Bayern started well.
Moments after PSG defender Marquinhos was shown a yellow card for stopping Daz
in his tracks, the left winger earned a penalty when he was fouled by Willian
Pacho, and from the spot Kane beat goalkeeper Matvey Safonov for his 13th goal
of the competition --- two behind Real Madrid's Kylian Mbapp --- and 54th goal
of another prolific season.
Safonov made a good save moments later from Olise, then Dembl missed a
one-on-one.
PSG equalized in the 24th when Dsir Dou's pass found Kvaratskhelia on the
left and the Georgia star cut inside before curling the ball into the bottom
right corner for his 10th goal of the competition.
Dembl and Dou missed further first half-chances from counterattacks which
exposed Bayern's tactic of playing with a perilously high defensive line.
The lesson was simply not heeded in the second half as PSG scored twice from
rapid counterattacks.
Kvaratskhelia rifled in a powerful shot in the 56th after running onto a ball
across the area that eluded all the defenders and Bayern's poor defending was
exposed again two minutes later. Dou was given far too much room before
feeding Dembl on the left, and he scored with a slow shot off in the post.
But at the end, PSG was struggling and Pacho headed Kimmich's looping header
off the line with seconds remaining in stoppage time.
"It was a very, very intense game and, despite knowing that we lost today,"
Bayern defender Jonathan Tah told Prime Video. "We showed what sort of a team
we are, that we can cope with adversity and also with difficult refereeing
decisions."
Spanish side Atletico Madrid hosts London club Arsenal on Wednesday in the
other semifinal first leg. The final will be played in Budapest, Hungary on May
30.
"I think all football lovers enjoyed it," Marquinhos said of Tuesday's
nine-goal thriller. "It was real pleasure to play in. You dream about it is a
kid. It was a great match and it will be the same over there."
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
