MUNICH (Germany): Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat holders Bayern Munich 3-2 in a thrilling win in Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
Bayern had their 19-match unbeaten run in the Champions League ended in a repeat of last year’s final, as the German giants suffered their first European defeat since March 2019.
PSG raced into a 2-0 lead after just 28 minutes behind closed doors at the Allianz Arena as Neymar created goals for Mbappe and Marquinhos.
Bayern, whose top scorer Robert Lewandowski is sidelined by a knee injury, drew level courtesy of headers by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Mueller.
However, Mbappe showed his class with a superb second goal to give the visitors an advantage for the return leg in Paris.
“We used all our chances and had a bit of luck, but nothing has been decided,” Mbappe told Sky, with the second leg to come in Paris on Tuesday.
PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas played a key role with a string of saves as Bayern peppered his goal with 31 shots compared to the French club’s six.
“We have to score a lot more goals,” said Mueller. “If it had ended 5-3 or 6-3 for us, no one could have complained based on the chances.”
Bayern coach Hansi Flick, who finished on the losing side for the first time in the Champions League, also rued the number of missed chances.
“With the chances we had, we could have got a good result despite conceding three goals,” Flick said.
“We don’t like to lose, but the way the team played was top.”
This was a record 19th appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals for Bayern, but there was little for them to celebrate at the final whistle.
“Kylian Mbappe made the difference. It’s a very positive result for us, but everything is still open,” said PSG coach Maurico Pochettino.
