The wait for a first Champions League title since 2020 goes on for Bayern Munich after holders Paris Saint-Germain eliminated them in the semifinals. A 1-1 draw in Munich completed a 6-5 aggregate victory for PSG.
Following a breathless 5-4 first-leg defeat in Paris — already hailed as one of the competition’s greatest matches — Bayern quickly found themselves on the back foot. Ousmane Dembele struck in the third minute, the former Borussia Dortmund forward lashing home after good work from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Both teams kept up a rapid tempo. PSG’s Nuno Mendes escaped a second yellow for a handball, while the referee instead penalized Bayern’s Konrad Laimer for handball — a decision video replays did not support. The call infuriated supporters at the Allianz Arena and Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.
“I watched the footage three times. And I didn’t see a single image where Konrad Laimer touched the ball with his hand,” Kompany told reporters after the game. Laimer added that sending a player off for a second yellow just 20 minutes in “certainly would have been a very decisive moment.”
Shortly after, Bayern’s frustration grew as the ball struck Vitinha’s arm in the box but the referee took no action and VAR was not consulted. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to urge fans to stop throwing objects onto the pitch; the warning was obeyed.
Jamal Musiala came close on several occasions before halftime, but Bayern went into the break with plenty still to do. In the second half, many attacks were aborted and the side lacked the cutting edge they had shown in their dominant Bundesliga campaign. PSG remained dangerous on the counter. Harry Kane pulled a goal back in the final moments, but time ran out on Bayern’s European hopes.
“We weren’t ‘killers’ in attack today. That key moment in the game was simply missing. We were there, but things weren’t sharp enough inside the PSG box. Right now, disappointment is the overriding emotion for us,” Neuer told DAZN after the match.
With the league already secured, Bayern can still complete a 13th domestic double if they beat Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23. Kompany sought to move on despite the disappointment: “Of course, in the end we lost two very, very tight games against a very good opponent. The Champions League is over for us this season, but there will be another chance – and that’s a motivation for me.”
PSG, meanwhile, will aim to reach a second consecutive Champions League final. They will face English leaders Arsenal, who defeated Atletico Madrid in the other semifinal, in the final in Budapest on May 30. A PSG win would make them the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid’s run from 2016 to 2018.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery