There have been many mixed opinions about UEFA's extended format in the UEFA Champions League. However, there is one thing that has never been doubted, which is the ability to create top matches in the knockout rounds. And the clash at Parc des Princes has spectacularly proven that.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich with a score of 5-4 in the first leg of the semi-finals - one of the most dramatic matches in the history of the tournament. With 9 goals, this is also the semi-final with the most goals in Champions League history.
Superior attack power
With the quality of the attack on both sides, the appearance of 9 goals is not too surprising. Bayern scores an average of 3.4 goals/match, the highest in the top 5 European leagues, while PSG (2.4) is third.
This is also the first time in a Champions League season that two teams have reached the 40-goal mark (PSG 43, Bayern 42). The attacking stars have contributed to explaining that. Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are all in the top group of candidates for the Ballon d'Or, in which Dembele is the current owner.
In addition, Luis Diaz also scored his 26th goal this season, while Kane (54 goals) and Olise (20 goals) helped Bayern's attack reach 100 goals in all competitions - a rare achievement in modern football.
Extraordinary finishing efficiency
Despite having 9 goals, the total expected goal index (xG) is only 5.0 - which is 4 goals more than the theory. PSG is the team that makes the biggest difference when scoring 5 goals from 1.9 xG, and successfully taking advantage of all 5 shots on target.
This is the first time since the 2003-2004 season that a team has done this in the Champions League knockout round.
Fitness and freshness
The pace of the match was extremely high but not reduced at all, showing that both teams have a solid physical foundation. The reason lies in the rotation of the squad. Coach Vincent Kompany gave a series of key players such as Kane, Jamal Musiala, Manuel Neuer or Joshua Kimmich rest before that.
Similarly, Luis Enrique also rotated PSG's squad in Ligue 1. Both teams are almost free in the domestic league, allowing maximum concentration in the Champions League.
Bayern and PSG have only played 50 matches this season - significantly less than Arsenal (56 matches). In the list of players who have played the most in Europe, there is only one face of the two teams, Warren Zaire-Emery.
High-speed football intention
The match took place at a rare speed and intensity. The two teams continuously pushed the ball forward, ready to take defensive risks to maximize attack.
Although the ball rolling time is only 54.9% (lower than the average of 58.3%), the main reason is that there are too many goals and interruptions.
The noteworthy point is the speed of bringing the ball back into play. PSG and Bayern only took an average of 13.7 seconds to take the throw-in - faster than any team in the Premier League this season (Man City was fastest with 14.9 seconds).
In the context that many teams are increasingly leaning towards control and slowing down the match, the direct, fast and energetic approach of the two teams brings a fresh feeling.
From a certain perspective, this match is also an answer to the debate about whether modern football is becoming boring or not. When playing with freedom, speed and the highest quality, football can still bring explosive performances.
