Friday, March 29, 2024
spot_img

PSG, Chelsea win 1st leg quarterfinals

Date:

Share post:

spot_img
spot_img

Munich, April 8: Kylian Mbappé scored twice to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-2 win at defending champion Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
Mbappé was a constant threat while Neymar had two assists as the French champion responded to its 1-0 loss to Bayern in last year’s final by seizing the advantage going into the second leg in Paris next week.
Marquinhos scored the other goal as the visitors went 2-0 up inside the first half hour, but the PSG captain went off injured shortly afterward and Bayern responded through headers from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Müller.
Mbappé sealed the win with his eight goal of the competition in the 68th. PSG had 4 shots on target.
Bayern had 31 efforts at goal and clearly missed Robert Lewandowski’s accuracy. The Poland star is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 35 goals in 25 appearances, but he returned from the international break with a knee injury. Bayern was also without forward Serge Gnabry because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Bayern coach Hansi Flick suffered his first Champions League defeat since taking over in November 2019.
The visitors also had absences due to COVID-19, with Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi both infected. Coach Mauricio Pochettino was also without forward Mauro Icardi and the suspended Leandro Paredes, as well as Layvin Kurzawa and former Bayern player Juan Bernat.
Bayern made a good start amid heavy snowfall with Choupo-Moting hitting the crossbar with a header from a corner in the second minute.
Mbappé scored the next minute, set up by Neymar on a quick counterattack, when his shot from the right squirmed between Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s legs.
The visitors had the ball in the net again in the 12th, but Julian Draxler’s goal was ruled out through VAR as Mbappé was just offside in the buildup. Bayern responded with sustained pressure.
Keylor Navas was alert to deny Leon Goretzka in the 19th, then Benjamin Pavard a minute later. Choupo-Moting went close from another corner before Marquinhos scored with the visitors’ second legitimate effort on goal.
Neymar beat Bayern’s offside trap with a brilliant ball over the top for his Brazilian compatriot to make it 2-0 in the 28th before Marquinhos went off with a groin injury two minutes later.
PSG paid the price for Marquinhos’ absence in the 37th, when Benjamin Pavard was left free to cross for the unmarked Choupo-Moting to head inside the left post.
Müller equalized with a header to Joshua Kimmich’s free kick on the hour mark, but Mbappé struck again despite facing Boateng in the 68th. The France star simply shot through the Bayern defender’s legs past the wrong-footed Neuer inside the left post.
In Wednesday’s other quarterfinal, Chelsea beat Porto 2-0 in a game played in Seville, Spain, because of travel restrictions.
The Blues struck in each half to secure an advantage in Seville ahead of the second leg in six days’ time back in southern Spain. Mount’s opener came just after the half-hour mark as he turned brilliantly away from pressure and finished confidently into the bottom corner for his eighth goal of the campaign.
Chilwell added a shine to the scoreline with five minutes remaining, rounding the goalkeeper in Fernando Torres-esque fashion before steering the ball into an empty net to make it 2-0. (AP)

spot_img
spot_img

Related articles

Adah Sharma’s fitness mantra: Workouts should always be fun, best with friends

Shillong, March 29: Actress Adah Sharma, who is a practitioner of weapon-based martial art Silambam, has shared the...

Delhi HC to examine Google’s Advertising terms for legal remedies in India

Shillong, March 29: The Delhi High Court has said that it will examine whether the terms of Google’s...

Salman’s update on ‘Dabangg 4′: ‘Jaise hi dono bhai ek script mein lock hojayengay’

Shillong, March 29: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has shared an update on the fourth instalment of his popular...

RBI to shut Rs 2000 banknote exchange facility for a day on April 1

Shillong, March 29: The RBI announced on Thursday that the facility for exchange and deposit of Rs 2000...