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PARIS, FRANCE — Twenty-four hours ago, Paris Saint Germain Coach Luis Enrique threw his hands up at the astonishing level his side — who won the treble last season, lest we forget — had reached, adding that PSG were “the best in the world”.
Bayern Munich Boss Vincent Kompany has made no such announcement, but perhaps he feels he doesn’t need to. His side are on course for a treble of their own and have lost just twice all season.
We all knew that Tuesday’s match was going to be a blockbuster. If European sports had a top 25 poll like college soccer, PSG and Bayern would be first and second in your order of preference.
What we didn’t know was that this was going to turn into one of the most epic, head-to-head slugfests in recent memory, a match that could rival the legendary clash between them. Manchester United And Real Madrid In 2003 (Ronaldo’s hat-trick, David Beckham came off the bench to score twice, Roman Abramovich decided then and there that he needed to buy a football club to complete his life…). In the end, two of the best teams in the world lent PSG a historic performance Champions League The first leg of the semi-final 5-4 At the Parc des Princes.
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PSG fans set the pre-match scene with a typically over-the-top French Revolution-themed tifo. A giant banner depicts blue-uniformed soldiers framed in gold standing over a helpless red-clad infantryman against a battle-torn hellscape. This was the signal for the home fans to start singing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, referring to the “blood-soaked banner” and the enemies to “cut your throat” and “water our furrows” with their “impure blood”.
These goosebumps won’t be the last we experience. Whether it was complications with which to find Bayern Luis Diaz in the box (where he will win the penalty why harry converted for opener) or path Khavicha covertsakhelia made up Josip Stanisic Dancing like a puppet on a string, creating enough space for the equalizer to stroke the ball into the far corner was just the beginning.
And when the terribly specific strategy mentioned players and choices Michael Ollis, desire, Ousmane Dembele What will make highlight reels and make the rounds on social media, those of you privileged enough to witness is the sheer, relentless athleticism on display.
Bayern and PSG played fast-forward, but they did so with subtlety, familiar patterns of play that give players time to think and create.
Soccer matches usually have the usual “pauses” — a hallmark, traditionally, of the Spanish game — where gifted players slow things down and speed them up, or “tempo control,” as the coach puts it. not here It was breathless and yet, at the same time, it looked controlled, composed. Super athletes do things at speed that normal people can only do at a walking pace. And do this over and over again for 90-plus minutes.
But if the tempo was out of control, the drama was not. On the contrary, it was surgical stuff, precision controlled — from both coaches. And if there’s a lesson to be learned, it should be that top players in top teams can only do so much if they rest. Luis Enrique has prioritized squad rotation over the past six weeks. The company also generously rested the boys Bundesliga. If the powers that be don’t get the message that great players with proper rest and training on the pitch can produce the great spectacles we saw at the Parc des Princes, then they are either deaf or dumb. (Or, greedy, because more games equals more money.)
That doesn’t mean the match was flawless. Jamal Musiala Could do a better job Joao Neves‘ without letting the round, curly-haired midfielder pass him. Both Dembele and Olis probably should have scored earlier than they did. Alphonso Davis He should have known better than to let his arm go flat on the turn, as he accepted the penalty. Ollis’ finish for his goal was special, but the defense – with four men around him – was not. Quartskhelia’s second was a rocket made possible by a chaotic back line. Marquinhos Diaz could have done better to play offside for the final goal (and it was very close).
Go ahead and do your nit-picking and second-guessing. PSG and Bayern probably have an army of video analysts as you read this. But remind yourself that most of these imperfections were only exposed by moments of great skill. If you’re playing in a Champions League semi-final, you don’t have to be perfect against 99% of opponents, 99% of the time. Soccer is a low-scoring game, and putting the ball in the net is difficult. On Tuesday night, however, every error was punished.
And, please, let’s not turn Luis Enrique into a 5-2 win (which would justify block-buying hotel rooms for the final in Budapest) in a 5-4 nail-biter that turns the return leg into a toss-up. Conventional wisdom might have suggested managing the game and holding possession and picking up the win.
Besides, to be fair to him, he did send Fabian Ruiz to keep the ball But Bayern’s one-two punch came so quickly — two goals 204 seconds apart, just seven minutes after PSG went up 5-2 — there was no time to react and change the game plan. Not that he can, however: Luis Enrique is nothing if not obsolete.
As for Bayern, they never changed their script, because that’s not what they do. Three goals down or two goals up, you know what you’re going to get. It’s the way of the company. And it’s working a treat.
Take the two penalties out of the mix and you’ll notice PSG have scored four goals from an xG of 1.12 and Bayern three from an xG of 1.73. And, combined, the two sides mustered 22 shots: a surprisingly low total for a game with nine goals.
What does that tell you? That’s what outstanding players on outstanding teams do: they treat the very difficult as routine. It is technical skill, or, more simply, talent. And the two coaches that have gifted us, coupled with the attacking intent and freedom to let the creatives create, well, that’s the beauty. and entertainment.
Roll next Wednesday in Munich. and a message Atlético Madrid And Arsenal: Do not confuse these two. There are more than one way to win a football match. It’s just that this route is more special.
