PSG 5-4 Bayern: Did Attacking Brilliance Mask Defensive Chaos? All Nine Goals Dissected

There's always someone ready to pour cold water on a masterclass, isn't there? PSG and Bayern Munich delivered what may well be the finest Champions League semi-final ever witnessed—a frantic, end-to-end assault that had both sets of supporters in raptures. Yet inevitably, the cynics have emerged from their holes, keen to argue that the defending was so abysmal it undermined the whole affair.

Fair point or sour grapes? Probably fair, if we're being honest. Defending matters just as much as attacking—arguably more so in the modern Premier League—and pundits like Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf have been right to highlight the lapses alongside the moments of genuine brilliance. Yet here's the thing: the defending really wasn't that bad across the board. Of the nine goals, seven came with legitimate defensive questions to answer. That still leaves two where the finishers simply had to be applauded.

So what actually happened? Let's go through the lot.

PSG 0-1 Bayern (Kane, penalty)

Alarm bells should have been ringing early. Joshua Kimmich is allowed to stroll through midfield towards the PSG box completely uncontested, with the home side's back four offering zero screen. One of Europe's finest central midfielders draws out Marquinhos and slides a pass through to Michael Olise. Luis Diaz exploits the space Marquinhos vacates, and Willian Pacho is forced into a desperate scramble that brings down the Bayern man. Penalty.

PSG 1-1 Bayern (Kvaratskhelia)

Josip Stanisic and Dayot Upamecano close down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, but Upamecano can't get tight enough to prevent Doue receiving a through ball in behind. Stanisic recovers to a decent shape, yet when Kvaratskhelia takes his touch and enters the box, a simple step-over and body feint leaves the Bayern full-back floundering on the wrong side. Jonathan Tah watches from deep, positioned for an in-swinger rather than a near-post threat, and he's too far away to block the far-post line. The finish itself is sumptuous, mind you.

PSG 2-1 Bayern (Joao Neves)

A corner-kick header, this one, with Neves peeling away from Jamal Musiala. Bayern's zonal marking breaks down—Kimmich and Kane station themselves too deep in the six-yard box, expecting the ball to arrive closer to the keeper. Neves gets an unchallenged glancing header. Easy pickings.

PSG 2-2 Bayern (Olise)

Here we go again. PSG's back four is exposed from a central area, and when Olise's running at you from there, you're usually done for. Warren Zaire-Emery offers little more than token resistance, already beaten before he commits, and neither centre-back advances. Willian Pacho takes the blame here—Marquinhos is occupied by Musiala.

PSG 3-2 Bayern (Dembele, penalty)

A gift-wrapped penalty, this. Alphonso Davies brings his hands from behind his back to block Dembele's cross, struck from close range, and it deflects off his body first. Soft as they come.

PSG 4-2 Bayern (Kvaratskhelia)

Bayern's left side implodes. Konrad Laimer gets dragged deep by Desire Doue while Luis Diaz fails to track Achraf Hakimi's burst forward. Hakimi has space and time, attempts to pick out either Dembele or Zaire-Emery, but his pass drifts through to Kvaratskhelia instead. Manuel Neuer anticipates another far-post finish and positions Stanisic to cover the near post—except he doesn't quite cover it well enough. Kvaratskhelia slots it through the gap with clinical precision while Neuer dives the wrong way.

PSG 5-2 Bayern (Dembele)

Similar scenario. Neuer expects a shot to the far post from his right, but Dembele's last touch opens the angle and takes the ball between Upamecano's legs. The veteran's weight is shifted too far left to react rightwards. Bottom corner. Game over? Not quite.

PSG 5-3 Bayern (Upamecano)

Kimmich delivers a perfect set-piece from deep, slightly left of centre. Upamecano's movement is sharp, but PSG's defensive line is unevenly organized—Nuno Mendes has Bayern attackers queuing up on both sides. Upamecano darts inside while Kane blocks off Pacho. A glance past the static Matvey Safonov. At least the PSG keeper learns his lesson; moments later, Kimmich sends in a nearly identical delivery, and Safonov stands taller this time, punching clear while Bayern get another free run.

PSG 5-4 Bayern (Luis Diaz)

If we're being picky—and we are—there's a question mark over why Kane gets his head up so freely to pick out Diaz's run. But it's a sublime pass, timed to perfection, so exquisite it earns a late flag. Once through, Diaz's first touch should be tidy and clinical. Marquinhos recovers well to get goal-side, yet he's never comfortable once there. He plants his feet to block a shot that never materializes, allowing Diaz to shift and bend one around him. Brilliant finish.

So there you have it. Seven goals with defensive questions, two where the attacker simply had to be saluted. A proper match, in other words—one that will be remembered for the right reasons.