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Paris took away the qualification card from the house of “Bavaria”.
Spanish coach Luis Enrique of PSG won the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, winning the ticket to the final round.
The champion of France, the current champion PSG, set the date of the final of the Champions League with the English “Arsenal”. Draw with “Bavaria” Munich (1-1)Today, Wednesday, in Allianz Arena.
Paris won a thrilling first leg at home (5-4) to advance to the final scheduled for May 30 in Budapest, Hungary, 6-5 on aggregate.
Enrique’s comfort…and Kompany’s predicament
Nine goals were scored in the first leg in one of the most exciting games in Champions League history, amid outstanding attacking play from both teams as well as major defensive mistakes.
With Paris leading on goal difference, they had a relative advantage going into the second leg, giving Luis Enrique the freedom to develop a method of play to suit it.
On the contrary, Vincent Kompany had to attack from the start as he needed to score to make up for the loss suffered in the first leg.
Looking at the formations of both teams, Paris played the game with the same line-up as in the first leg, except for Fabian Ruiz, Warren Zaire Emery returned to replace Achraf Hakimi at right-back as the Moroccan was out through injury.
On the other hand, “Bayern” also played the game with the same formation, except for Alphonso Davies, Bleimer on the left front.
Enrique: There are no constants
Luis Enrique stands out for his vast experience, clear intelligence and good reading of matches, which was evident in today’s game.
Enrique works on the rule that every match has its own style and circumstances and that there are no constants to follow, which he applied from the first minute of the match.
From the first minute, Enrique turned to a tight defense, especially after the first leg, which saw open play between the two teams and Paris conceding 4 goals.
Enrique preferred to take no chances and attack Bayern in his own half, preferring to do more from both sides to stop the opposition’s powerful weapons, especially Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Olissey, who were excellent in the first leg.
He faced Portugal’s Nuno Mendes, Bayern winger Olisse, but Enrique aimed to help him with one of the midfielders throughout the match, especially Fabian Ruiz.
On the other hand, Zaire Emery, present in front of Luis Diaz, also received a lot of support from the midfielders, especially Joao Neves.
Paris resorted to narrowing the spaces, especially in the middle of their pitch, which greatly confused Bayern, and their players failed to create scoring opportunities until the end of the match.
Enrique used a midfield trio led by Vitinha to create a numerical density in the center of the pitch and in front of the penalty area, so Jamaa Musiala completely disappeared as he did not represent the threat expected of him.
It was clear that Enrique wanted to put pressure on Bayern’s players all over the pitch and force them to make mistakes and lose the ball, whether it was in front of their keeper or in attacks, which Paris had great success in tonight’s encounter.
Weapon Transformations and Shine Kvaratskhelia
Enrique completed his plan with a quick conversion weapon, launching quick counter-attacks, taking advantage of the speed of the attacking trio of Kvaratskhelia, Dembele and Desiree Douy.
Kvaratskhelia was a lethal attacking weapon for Paris. In addition to setting up Dembele’s goal, he was a major threat in Bayern’s goal and was the focal point of the French side’s lightning attack.
The trio also excelled at switching positions at high speed on rebounds, and if not for the brilliance of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, especially in the second half, Paris would have scored more than once.
Enrique’s changes have followed the plan he relied on: intense defending, narrowing of areas and quick counter-attacks.
The company and the lack of solutions
On the other hand, Kompany did not manage to find such solutions that would help his players get rid of the strong control of the Parisians and spoil the opponent’s plan.
In the first half in particular, the crisis of lack of solutions appeared in front of the Bayern Munich players and disappeared the threat of Olissi, Diaz and Harry Kane, and with them Musiala, in light of the great defensive intensity of Paris and the strong pressure on the ball carrier that both players exerted at times.
Despite Bayern’s surge in attack in the second half and Paris’ containment in the final third, solutions were lacking and the team was in danger of conceding more than one goal if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Manuel Neuer, who is considered one of Bayern’s best players in today’s game.
Harry Kane equalized before the final, but Paris were alert and maintained their defensive cohesion thanks to team play and a clear tactical commitment from all players.
It could be said that Enrique bet on a game that neutralized all of Bayern Munich’s weapons and resulted in them scoring early, making it difficult for their opponents who were unable to break down Paris’ strong defensive line, so that qualification ultimately went to the France team, whose coach handled the challenge with great experience.
