Ousmane Dembélé double, named MVP
- Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring twice and taking UEFA’s Player of the Match award. - PSG came from Harry Kane’s early penalty to lead 5-2 by the 58th minute, with Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia both scoring braces. - The nine-goal game set a Champions League semifinal scoring record before next week’s second leg in Germany. (uefa.com)
Ousmane Dembélé scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 on April 28 and took UEFA’s Player of the Match award. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2) Harry Kane put Bayern ahead from the penalty spot in the 17th minute at Parc des Princes. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia equalized in the 24th, João Neves made it 2-1 in the 33rd, and Michael Olise leveled at 2-2 in the 41st. (espn.com) (cnn.com) Dembélé restored PSG’s lead with a penalty in first-half stoppage time and added another in the 58th minute. Kvaratskhelia scored again in the 56th, before Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz pulled Bayern back late. (espn.com) (skysports.com) UEFA said the 5-4 result was the highest-scoring semifinal first leg in Champions League history. The second leg is scheduled for next Wednesday in Germany, with PSG carrying a one-goal lead. (uefa.com) (skysports.com) For Dembélé, the match added to a season in which he has become one of PSG’s central attackers after years of injuries and uneven output. Yahoo Sports quoted him saying PSG had “a lot of revenge to take” after a previous loss to Bayern earlier this season. (sports.yahoo.com) (espn.com) Bayern still left Paris with a live tie after scoring four away from home, even after trailing 5-2 before the hour. Vincent Kompany said his side had opportunities they did not finish, according to ESPN’s post-match report. (espn.com) The immediate question now is whether Dembélé’s finishing run in Paris carries into the return leg. PSG has the edge, but a one-goal margin left the semifinal open at full time. (uefa.com) (nbcsports.com)
