Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain survived a late scare at the Allianz Arena to book their place in the UEFA Champions League final, fighting back a thrilling 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night to seal a dramatic 6-5 aggregate victory.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: FULL INFORMATION
After the chaos and attacking fireworks of the first leg, the return leg turned into a much more tactical and nervous affair, with PSG forced to dig deep under Bayern’s relentless pressure for long stretches of the match. The French side could not have wished for a better start. Just three minutes into the game, Ousmane Dembele struck again and continued his sensational European form. A perfectly balanced cutback from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found Dembele in space and the striker made no mistake, curling his effort past Manuel Neuer to stun the home crowd and extend PSG’s lead on aggregate.
This early goal only added to Bayern’s urgency. The German champions surged forward almost immediately, pinning PSG deep in their own half as they desperately searched for a way back into the tie. Michael Olise and Luis Diaz came close with long-range efforts, but neither could find the required accuracy.
Despite Bayern’s dominance in possession, it was Neuer who had to keep his team alive midway through the first half. The veteran goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to push away Joao Neves’ dangerous header to prevent PSG from tightening up even more.
At the other end, PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov produced a stunning save just before half-time to deny Jamal Musiala from close range as Bayern’s frustrations continued to mount.
BAYERN ATTACKS, PSG STAY COMPACT
The second half took place in a familiar spirit. Bayern pushed forward with increasing desperation, while PSG sat compact, absorbing pressure and looking dangerous every time they counter-attacked. As spaces began to open up late in the game, PSG almost landed a knockout blow through Desire Doue and Kvaratskhelia, but Bayern somehow stayed alive.
The breakthrough the hosts were chasing finally arrived deep into the break. Harry Kane, who had largely been quiet all evening, found a yard of space inside the box and drilled home the equalizer to give the stadium some brief hope. Kane’s goal was his 55th in all competitions this season and his seventh in a row in the Champions League.
But it turned out to be nothing more than a consolation. Bayern simply ran out of time as PSG held on to the lead in one of the competition’s most thrilling semi-final battles.
Luis Enrique’s side will now face Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30. The Premier League team beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the second semi-final.
Bayern’s hopes of a historic treble collapsed with the defeat. Having already secured the Bundesliga title, the German giants only have the German Cup left this season as a chance to add more silverware.
– The end
Published on:
07 May 2026 08:10 IST
