04/28/26 04:25:00
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04/28 16:23 CDT Goals galore as PSG beats Bayern Munich 5-4 in wild Champions
League semifinal 1st leg
Goals galore as PSG beats Bayern Munich 5-4 in wild Champions League semifinal
1st leg
By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- Titleholder Paris Saint-Germain held on for a pulsating 5-4 win
over Bayern Munich in a roller-coaster Champions League semifinal first leg on
Tuesday.
The highest scoring semifinal match in Champions League history saw PSG leading
5-2 early in the second half thanks to two goals each from flying winger
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembl at Parc des Princes.
"Two great teams who attack and don't question themselves," Dembl said. "We
know Bayern is a big team but so are we. At 5-2 we stopped playing a bit. It
was an incredible match, but now we go to Munich to qualify. We won't change
our way of playing and it will be two teams who attack."
Bayern fought back brilliantly.
Defender Dayot Upamecano's header midway through the second half from Joshua
Kimmich's free kick gave Bayern hope and Luis Daz's stinging strike made it a
one-goal deficit heading into next Wednesday's return leg in Munich.
"I think all football lovers enjoyed it. It was real pleasure to play in. You
dream about it is a kid," PSG defender Marquinhos said. "It was a great match
and it will be the same over there."
Harry Kane's penalty gave Bayern the lead in the 17th minute and Kvaratskhelia
equalized soon after for PSG. Midfielder Joao Neves --- who is 5-foot-7 ---
then headed PSG ahead from a corner.
A dramatic first half saw Michael Olise equalize for Bayern after bursting into
the area before Swiss referee Sandro Schrer awarded a penalty for PSG when a
video review spotted a handball from Canada defender Alphonso Davies.
PSG's penalty was contested by Bayern's players. Davies turned his body to
Dembl's right-wing cross but the ball bounced off his hip and hit his arm.
Although Davies was turning away from play he failed to keep his hands behind
his back.
Dembl fired the penalty past Manuel Neuer --- who guessed the right way ---
to send PSG ahead 3-2 at the break.
Bayern started well.
Moments after Marquinhos was shown a yellow card for stopping Daz in his
tracks, the left winger earned a penalty when he was fouled by Willian Pacho,
and from the spot Kane beat goalkeeper Matvey Safonov for his 54th goal of
another prolific season.
Safonov made a good save moments later from Olise, then Dembl missed a
one-on-one.
PSG equalized in the 24th when Dsir Dou's pass found Kvaratskhelia on the
left and the Georgia star cut inside before curling the ball into the bottom
right corner for his 10th goal of the competition.
Dembl and Dou missed further first half-chances from counterattacks which
exposed Bayern's tactic of playing with a perilously high defensive line.
But at the end, PSG was struggling and Pacho headed Kimmich's looping header
off the line with seconds remaining in stoppage time.
Spanish side Atletico Madrid hosts London club Arsenal on Wednesday in the
other semifinal first leg.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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