The attacking duo of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé could not save PSG from another Champions League misery as the French club were beaten in the Round of 16 by Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga giants who won the first leg in Paris by a solitary goal then trailed 2-0 in the second leg at the Allianz Arena to advance 3-0 on aggregate.
It was Kingsley Coman who scored in the first leg, Eric Choupo-Moting and Sergi Gnabry were the heroes in the second leg; sealed Bayern’s place in the quarter-finals with two goals in the second half.
PSG will have themselves to blame for the first goal they conceded in Munich which effectively sealed their Champions League fate this season.
Bitshabu gave the ball to Marco Verratti inside his own box and the midfielder was in possession for too long. Thomas Muller cleverly took the ball away from him and passed it to Leon Goretzka who touched it towards goal before passing to Choupo-Moting to tap in and get his name on the score sheet.
Choupo-Moting now has four goals in six Champions League games this season and will be hoping for more as Bayern’s weapon for all-time glory.
Surprisingly, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann brought on Leroy Sane to replace goalscorer Eric Choupo-Moting in the 69th minute.
Sane’s inclusion almost paid off in the 75th minute after he broke into the PSG box, but he made an effort from inside the box.
When PSG tried to find a way back into the game, they were also checked by Bayern’s good defense or by the goalkeeper.
As the clock ticked down, Sadio Mane was brought on to replace Jamal Musiala.
It is great to see the Senegalese bounce back after a spell on the sidelines which, among other things, denied him action at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
When it looked like 1-0 on the night would be enough for Bayern to escape, Gnabry in the 89th minute added one more goal to pile the misery on Messi, Mbappé and the rest of his teammates.
This is the first time in his entire career that Messi will miss playing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in back-to-back seasons.
In the night’s other tie, AC Milan came to London, saw and conquered Tottenham Hotspur.
After winning the first leg by a single goal at the San Siro, AC Milan fought back with a draw in the second leg to progress to the quarter-finals.
This is the first time AC Milan have entered the Champions League in over a decade.
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