Bayern held and miss out on Champions League final

FC Bayern’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final were dashed in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain. After the 5-4 defeat in the first leg in Paris, Munich were held to a 1-1 draw and eliminated 6-5 on aggregate. Ousmane Dembélé handed PSG an early lead, with Harry Kane’s added-time goal coming too late for Bayern to turn things around.

Munich started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah and Josip Stanišić in defence. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović anchored a midfield featuring Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Luis Díaz, with Kane up front. Minjae Kim, Alphonso Davies, Nicolas Jackson and Lennart Karl came on for Tah, Stanišić, Musiala and Upamecano in the second half.

Behind early on

The first half began with an early setback, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia racing down the left and cutting back for Dembélé to score the opener and make it 6-4 for Paris on aggregate. Bayern went looking for a reply, with Kane and Olise seeing efforts blocked. Neuer denied Kvaratskhelia and Díaz sidestepped a defender but fired off target. Olise also cut inside and curled a shot just over.

Bayern had a shout for a penalty waved aside when Vitinha’s clearance hit João Neves’ arm. Neuer made a strong save to deny Neves. Munich upped the pressure before half-time, but Musiala saw a shot saved before firing wide. Tah miscued a header from Kimmich’s free-kick and Bayern were trailing by two goals on aggregate at half-time.

Kane’s goal not enough

The contest was long on aggression but short on clear-cut chances after the restart. Bayern dominated possession but struggled against PSG, who were very solid at the back and dangerous on the break. Neuer made strong saves against Kvaratskhelia and Doué, with PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov denying Stanišić, Díaz and Olise.

Doué hit the side-netting and sent another shot inches wide. Bayern kept probing and Laimer saw two shots blocked. Davies eventually found Kane, who pulled one back on the spin in added time, but it was too late as Bayern were eliminated 6-5 on aggregate.

The Bavarians will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to face Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. After winning the title, Bayern’s hunt for silverware continues in the DFB Cup final on 23 May.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen