It cannot always be a laugh a minute. This rematch between elite football’s two genuinely enthralling propositions did not veer as wildly as the previous week’s rollercoaster and, in truth, was probably never going to. What it did provide was more proof of Paris Saint-Germain’s all-round brilliance, manifested in an ability to put business and pleasure on equal pegging.
They held a largely off-key Bayern Munich at arm’s length for most of the night, only allowing Harry Kane a few seconds to pursue his dream Champions League final when he hammered in near the end. PSG are the ones who will meet Arsenal and the task facing Mikel Arteta was laid bare here.
Anyone looking to dethrone the reigning champions needs to have it all. The joy of PSG’s performance here was that, although it was founded on a resilience they have a habit of showing on these occasions, they never stopped searching for more. While Bayern prodded and scratched, the night’s real miracle was that Désiré Doué did not crown an unplayable second-half performance with a goal. As the minutes ticked down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was one solid connection away from a solo strike for the ages and it was a reminder that, even when it is time to get serious, PSG will find ways to put on a show.
Vincent Kompany was left to take in the sight of Luis Enrique, never one to reject an adrenaline rush, celebrating beneath PSG’s 3,700-strong travelling contingent. There is little doubt Kompany will be back, perhaps with a squad more deeply stocked to take the final step. While Ousmane Dembélé’s third-minute goal raised hopes of another feast there was the nagging sense PSG would be too cute to let that happen again. For all their pressure Bayern were a yard short in execution and, often, physical sharpness. Ultimately they were smothered and, by the time 180 minutes had been played, few could deny there was an appreciable difference between the sides.
Anything had seemed possible at the outset. Kompany had asked any Bayern fan feeling under the weather to hand their ticket to someone more pumped up for the occasion; a raging red fever of one kind spread around the stadium nonetheless, the Südkurve in situ and bouncing 45 minutes before kick-off. Munich, so refined yet given perfectly to the vibes of a big sporting event, had pulsed with electricity all day.
Kvaratskhelia offered his own bolt of it when, played in smartly by Fabián Ruiz, he surged into space vacated by a floundering Konrad Laimer. He drew parallel with the six-yard box and, while the rest felt inevitable, it still had to be done perfectly. The pull-back for Dembélé, alone while Bayern’s defenders scurried towards their goal, was precise and the finish ripped above a startled Manuel Neuer’s head. The Bayern keeper would excel thereafter but nobody could quell Dembélé’s appetite to get the job done.
Bayern had fallen behind even more quickly in their quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, recovering to win a classic quickly cast into the shadows by events at Parc des Princes. This time they laboured and, in the bigger picture, maybe it is no bad thing the art of defence had its moment in the spotlight here.
Nuno Mendes, who would later flirt with a second yellow card, showcased it by blocking brilliantly from Michael Olise; Warren Zaïre-Emery, tasked with matching an injured Achraf Hakimi’s contribution at right-back, more than once earned the approval of his captain Marquinhos for diligent tracking. Although sometimes loose when playing out, PSG looked impenetrable until shortly before the interval when Jamal Musiala weaved through. He might have done better than allow Matvey Safonov a respectable, but expected, parry and it was one of precious few serious scares.
By then the only real flashpoint had come and gone. The erratic Safonov, whose proficiency under set-pieces may be keenly tested by Arsenal, forced Vitinha into a snatched clearance that bashed into the outstretched arm of João Neves. While Neves could not have expected his teammate’s intervention, his limb did not seem in a natural position. Kompany and Bayern screamed for a penalty but nothing was given, Neves promptly forcing Neuer into the first of several fine saves as a sense of injustice raged.
Neuer was considerably more exercised than his counterpart during a second half of Bayern bluster and, at opportune moments, PSG blister. A rare home chance saw Safonov save from Luis Díaz and it seemed clear enough that the next goal could change everything. But it was too late when Kane, hardly given a sniff throughout, thudded in defiantly. His elimination removes one hindrance from Arsenal’s path but the danger in Budapest hardly ends there. Unfettered beauty might be transient after all, but PSG still know countless ways to create joy.