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If anyone needed reminding why Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are the two most watchable sides left in this season's Champions League, the Parc des Princes provided the answer in spectacular fashion. Nine goals, two penalties, relentless attacking football from first whistle to last — and a 5-4 scoreline that leaves the tie wide open ahead of next week's second leg in Munich.
Match result
| Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| PSG vs Bayern Munich | 5–4 | Kvaratskhelia, João Neves, Doué, Dembélé (pen, pen) | Kane (pen), Olise, Upamecano, Díaz |
A night of relentless, breathtaking football
From the first second, neither side showed any interest in caution. The pressing was relentless, the tempo dizzying, the goals almost inevitable. Bayern drew first blood when referee Schärer spotted a Willian Pacho sliding challenge on Luis Díaz and pointed to the spot. Harry Kane, as composed as ever from twelve yards, rolled the ball into the corner for his latest Champions League goal: 1-0.
PSG's response was immediate and characteristically brilliant. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has been one of the signings of the European season, drove inside Josip Stanisic and curled a stunning finish into the far corner to level. João Neves then headed the hosts ahead from close range, and suddenly PSG had the momentum. Désiré Doué extended the lead to 3-1, with Ousmane Dembélé having already spurned an earlier chance.
Bayern, as they always seem to do, found a way back. Michael Olise — the Frenchman who came through academies at Chelsea and Manchester City before finding his home at Crystal Palace and then Munich — seized on a moment of space to thunder a finish into the net for 3-2. It seemed like that might be the half-time score. Then, deep into stoppage time, Alphonso Davies was penalised for handball, and Dembélé stepped up to convert and make it 3-2 to PSG at the break.
Second half: PSG pull away, Bayern keep fighting
If anything, the second half was even more extraordinary. Kvaratskhelia made it 4-2, again cutting in from the left with a low finish into the near corner past Manuel Neuer. Davies then conceded a second handball penalty of the evening, and Dembélé dispatched it with ease: 5-2. The tie looked over.
But Bayern refused to submit. Dayot Upamecano headed in to make it 5-3, and then Luis Díaz drove home a fourth to set up a 5-4 scoreline that will have fans across Europe setting their alarms for next week's second leg. Bayern need just a two-goal winning margin in Munich to advance on away goals — or a win by any margin if they can keep PSG from scoring.
What a final this would be
Both managers will study what happened at the Parc des Princes carefully. PSG's pressing and the individual brilliance of Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé are formidable weapons. But Bayern showed that even trailing 5-2 they cannot be written off, with Kane, Olise and Díaz all capable of turning a game in a single moment.
The second leg in Munich takes place next week. The winners face either Arsenal or Atlético Madrid in the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May 2026.
