When those five minutes of added time had finally run out, Paris's very last attack had somehow been repelled, and referee Maurizio Mariani finally blew for full-time, someone suddenly broke into a full sprint. Like the wind, Vincent Kompany raced from the dugout onto the Parc de Princes pitch, covering 20-30 metres, until the head coach threw his arms around Dayot Upamecano. Others joined in, exhausted. They lay in each other's arms. The players, the coach - everyone was beaming, was hugging each other.
Battle to the point of exhaustion
The 2-1 win at defending champions Paris Saint-Germain was a tactical and attacking show by Bayern in the first half. In the second half, after a red card for double goalscorer Luiz Diaz, it was suddenly necessary to draw on completely different qualities. And so, at the end of a wonderful autumn day in the French capital, Bayern fought passionately for 45 minutes, almost to the point of exhaustion. “It was obviously a completely different game in the second half. We saw in the first who the better team was,” said a delighted Manuel Neuer, before adding, “The second half was a real fight.”
A completely new dimension
The first half, on the other hand, was a football symphony taken to a completely new dimension. Bayern pursued their opponents in one-on-one situations with unprecedented passion and aggression across the entire pitch. From Sacré Cœur in the north to the Pantheon in the south, from the Eiffel Tower in the west to Notre Dame in the east of this wonderful city, Bayern hounded their opponents and denied their attacking magicians any space to develop their game with the utmost intensity. Even Michael Olise and Diaz appeared in defensive areas they had probably never entered before. This robbed the wings, where the French champions are known to be outstanding, of any danger.
14 kilometres in 100th game
“We were really at it, were a physical presence. I’d say it was one of the most intense first halves of my career,” admitted Joshua Kimmich, who marked his 100th Champions League appearance by covering almost 14 kilometres in the quest to shut down PSG and Vitinha at their heart.
The visitors were also helped by their fastest goal in the Champions League since Thomas Müller's opener in the 8-2 win over Barcelona. The outstanding Upamecano won the ball and sent it via Kimmich and Serge Gnabry to Olise, who failed to beat Lucas Chevalier when one-on-one, but Diaz converted the rebound with determination to make it 1-0. It was 3:44 minutes into the game. Bayern defended high up the pitch, pressed aggressively and pushed forward courageously. Paris only managed to create chances on the counter-attack. Bayern were fortunate that the game did not turn on its head, as Ousmane Dembélé's equaliser had been scored from an offside position. It remained an exciting and thrilling offensive exchange between two great teams. At the back, Neuer made a top save against Bradley Barcola, while up front, the lively Gnabry failed to score, hitting both posts with one shot. Díaz made no mistake, however, stealing the ball from Paris captain Marquinhos on the edge of the box and scoring his 10th competitive Bayern goal to make it 2-0. Josip Stanišić also scored, but once again it was ruled offside.
“We hope Hakimi gets better”
“The first half was brilliant by us,” said Jonathan Tah. “In the second, we then had to suffer together. We showed today we can do it, that we’re there for each other and ready to defend together.” That's because the double goalscorer dampened Bavarian spirits right before half-time, being shown a red card after his tackle on Achraf Hakimi. “We really hope that Hakimi gets better soon,” said Kompany later.
“Had to go through hell”
After the break, it was Paris in control against 10 Bayern players. FCB had to completely reverse their successful tactics from the first half. First in a 4-4-1 formation, then later in a 5-3-1 system, Kompany sacrificed attacking midfielder Gnabry for another defensive position. This was sorely needed, as Paris began to play in the finally available space around Bayern’s area according to their tried-and-tested approach. “It's probably the best attack in Europe, so it wasn't easy. The most important thing was that we stuck together as a team and believed that we could get through it,” Tah revealed. When Kompany brought on Minjae Kim as a third centre-back to counter the increasing pressure, it was clear that the team would now defend until they dropped. “We couldn't press high with one man down. We had to suffer together and go through hell,” said Tah. “That's what we did. It wasn't easy, but we did it.”
455 minutes without conceding to PSG
This was because Paris did score once, as Joao Neves got PSG’s first Champions League goal against Bayern in 455 minutes of action to bring it back to 2-1. So the last quarter of an hour was all about not falling down and being overwhelmed by the thunderous French attacks. On the one hand, the focused collective helped. On the other hand, an incredible Neuer. Somehow the captain managed to get his hand out to save Warren Zaïre-Emery's attempt. In fact, the Bayern keeper was in demand like never before. There had never previously been 20 shots on the record champions' goal in any game under Kompany. The possession statistics climbed to dizzying Eiffel Tower heights of 84%-16%.
“Accept that the opponent was better”
“The most important thing was that we stuck together as a team and believed that we could get through it,” Tah concluded. “There were a few 50-50 situations, but we were alert and focused. That's how you end up winning the game.” PSG boss Luis Enrique also admitted: “We have to accept that the opposition were better today.” In the first half in terms of play, in the second half in terms of tactics. “Hard work and emotions,” said Kompany, summing up what mattered on Tuesday evening. “That's how we felt after the second half. In the end, we did it together.”
Watch highlights from the game here:
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