A defeat, two major injuries, and an evening that turned into a nightmare. Paris Saint-Germain experienced real torture this Tuesday evening, falling for the first time this season in the Champions League against a clinical and ruthless Bayern Munich (1-2). But beyond the accounting setback, it is the human bill that chills the blood: the European champion lost Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi to injury, including an exit on a stretcher for the Moroccan after a killer tackle.
The nightmare in 45 minutes
Faced with a Bayern in steamroller mode (15 victories in a row), Parisian concerns of recent weeks have been confirmed. Apathetic, without aggressiveness, PSG was punished from the start. Luis Diaz, as a fox, took advantage of an initial defensive generosity to open the scoring (4th). Far from reacting, Paris suffered and lost Ousmane Dembélé, victim of a hamstring relapse (25th). Then the same Luis Diaz, taking advantage of an error from Marquinhos, calmly went to adjust Chevalier for the 0-2 (32nd).
The ordeal was not over. Just before the break, the same Luis Diaz was guilty of a tackle of incredible violence on the ankle of Achraf Hakimi. An inconceivable gesture which left the Moroccan on the ground and forced him to be taken out on a stretcher. The direct red card for the Bavarian striker seemed little consolation in the face of the loss of a new Parisian executive. At the break, Paris was trailing 0-2, but above all had lost two of its best players.
Joao Neves’ reduction in score was not enough for PSG.
Sterile domination, waking up too late
In numerical superiority for the entire second period, we expected a revolt, a formal siege of Manuel Neuer’s goal. Nothing happened, or very little. For almost thirty minutes, PSG “played baballe”, confiscating the ball sterilely, turning it laterally, without ever finding the fault, without percussion, unable to shake up a German block although it was reduced to ten.
It took the entry into play of the young and indispensable João Neves, returning from injury, to finally wake up the Park. It was he who, with an acrobatic gesture on a serve from the other entrant, Lee Kang-In (74th), reduced the score and revived crazy hope. The last quarter of an hour was Parisian, but a Manuel Neuer of great evenings brilliantly intervened in front of Zaire-Emery (78th), before Neves, again, came close to equalizing with a header in the 81st. Too little, too late.
More than a defeat, a hard blow
PSG therefore bows, but the real assessment lies elsewhere. Accounting, this defeat can be made up for. But the loss of Dembélé and Hakimi for a long period is much more devastating news. The meager comfort of remembering that last year, Paris had also lost against Bayern before winning everything, rings very hollow this evening. The infirmary is full, and the doubts are immense.
