Bayern Munich held their own against Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, winning 2-0 and knocking Kylian Mbappe and his club out of the Champions League in the round of 16.
Despite the absence of star player Neymar, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, PSG came into the match hoping to overturn the 1-0 aggregate deficit from the first leg.
They struggled to break down Bayern’s defence, with Matthijs de Ligt making a crucial save to deny Vitinha’s shot in the first half.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half, but he quickly made amends by scoring the game’s opening goal. Due to Marco Verratti’s fumble in PSG’s area, Leon Goretzka was able to set up Choupo-Moting for an easy tap-in past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Bayern then clinched the victory with a late goal from substitute Serge Gnabry, who finished off a quick counter-attack set up by Joao Cancelo’s through ball. Bayern secured a 3-0 aggregate victory over PSG with this 2-0 victory and qualified to the UCL quarterfinals.
PSG’s defeat was disappointing after spending billions on Champions League glory over the last decade. The arrival of Lionel Messi was supposed to catapult them to the next level, but the Argentine has lost his previous three games versus Bayern. Meanwhile, PSG’s Champions League record has deteriorated since Messi’s arrival, with the team failing to go past the round of 16 twice in a succession.
PSG’s woes have been worsened by Neymar’s injury, as the club struggled to create enough chances to concern Bayern’s defense.
