PSG and Bayern give a spectacle of football madness

BarcelonaIt looked like an early final and, seeing how the first leg of the semifinals went, the prediction made perfect sense. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich put on a spectacle of footballing madness in a memorable match at the Parc des Princes. The Parisians took a minimal lead into next week's return leg at the Allianz Arena, but this is not the main news of the duel, but rather the goal-scoring machinery working at full throttle in the nets of Safonov and Neuer, who conceded a total of nine goals after 90 minutes that felt like many more.

Vincent Kompany's team entered the match much better, with the coach watching the show from the stands due to accumulated bookings. A clear penalty by Pacho on Luis Díaz was converted by Harry Kane in the 17th minute. A deserved small advantage for Bayern, who had more chances to widen the initial gap. But PSG, the reigning continental champions, managed to find spaces behind the German defense, positioned very close to the offside line. Thus, in the 24th minute, Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for Luis Enrique's side with a run finished off with a shot to the far post past Manuel Neuer. Before halftime, three more strikes. One for the visiting team, from the electric Olise, who unleashed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box, and two for the home team, scored by Neves from a corner and by Dembélé, who converted a penalty awarded after a VAR review.

The goal-scoring voracity of the first half had no brakes in the second. In fact, in a few minutes of true madness, PSG managed to pull three goals ahead (5-2). In the 54th minute, Kvaratskhelia scored again against Neuer's net in a great play orchestrated by Vitinha, a colossal midfielder, and former Real Madrid player Achraf Hakimi, who once again punished the Bayern defense's backline. And in the 56th minute, Dembélé once again showed why he will be among the contenders for the Ballon d'Or. A brace from "The Mosquito," who under Luis Enrique is delivering his best version. But Bayern did not back down. On the contrary, they insisted to stay alive in the tie. The reward was almost instantaneous. In the 65th minute, Upamecano sent a venomous cross from Kimmich into the net, and three minutes later, Luis Díaz beat Safonov with the suspense of an offside disallowed by VAR.

With more than twenty minutes left, it was not unreasonable to expect the scoreline to continue widening, but PSG set to work to protect their lead against an opponent who deserved to reach a five-goal haul. Everything will be decided in Munich. Let the party not stop.