Bayern Munich eliminates PSG from UCL

March 9, 2023

Bayern Munich beat out PSG 2-0 on Wednesday to go to the quarterfinals 3-0 on aggregate.

When former PSG attacker Kingsley Coman scored in the first leg of the round-of-16 tie, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, another former PSG player, increased the lead before Serge Gnabry ended the scoring at Allianz Stadium.

PSG controlled the first half and was only denied the lead by a goal-line clearance from Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt, but Bayern refocused in the second half to earn the victory.

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann had earlier stated that he had a plan to shut down Messi and Mbappé, and it appeared to succeed as Bayern’s defense progressively pushed them out of the game.

PSG’s last opportunity to win this season is the French league after Marseille eliminated them from the French Cup last month.

Choupo-Moting scored in the 61st minute to keep Bayern on track for the quarterfinals and eliminate PSG from the Champions League in the last 16 for the second year in a row. Choupo-Moting had just had a goal disallowed for offside and had inadvertently blocked a teammate’s effort.

Leon Goretzka and Thomas Müller combined to steal the ball away from Marco Verratti, and Goretzka squared the ball for Choupo-Moting to score easily with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma alone.

In the 89th minute, two replacements combined to secure the victory on the attack, with Joao Cancelo racing down the right wing before sending in Gnabry to score.

Choupo-Moting played for PSG against Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final. The next season, after joining as a free agent with Bayern, he scored one in each leg of Bayern’s Champions League semifinal loss to PSG on away goals.

FC Bayern Munich vs PSG: UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | ROUND OF 16 | LEG 2 OF 2

PSG was without Neymar, who had played the first leg before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, but Mbappé, who had been a substitute in the first game, was back in the starting eleven.

From the opening, the French champions pressured Bayern high up the field, forcing Bayern’s defense to make several reckless mistakes. Bayern was fortunate not to concede when de Ligt made a brave goal-line block in the 36th minute to clear Vitinha’s attempt on an otherwise open net. When goalie Yann Sommer tried to move forward under pressure from Achraf Hakimi, he gave the ball away to Vitinha.

De Ligt was praised by Sommer, who was brought in to replace the injured Manuel Neuer, who promised to reward him with “a truck load of Swiss chocolate.”

PSG coach Christophe Galtier blamed the loss on the team’s hectic schedule and significant player ailments. The injury list grew longer when captain Marquinhos left in the 36th minute with what seemed to be rib soreness from last week’s triumph against Nantes.

Nordi Mukiele, his substitute, was replaced at halftime by 17-year-old defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who was making his Champions League debut.