PSG 0-1 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Kingsley Coman haunts former club

Nazir Hamzah February 15, 2023

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Bayern Munich earned a valuable first leg lead as they dominated Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Although PSG were the home side, they seemed content to allow Bayern to dominate the ball from the start while they looked to break themselves.

That saw the early chances go the way of Bayern. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting flashed an early long range effort wide.

The threat from PSG was always there, of course. Messi and Neymar combined on the quarter-hour but Benjamin Pavard was alert to the danger.

Pavard was the architect of the next major chance of the game. Jamal Musiala latched onto a through-ball from the Frenchman but this time it was Sergio Ramos to intervene with some quality defending.

Choupo-Moting then wasted another chance after some fine work from Kingsley Coman. His header was deflected wide. Coman had a go himself a few minutes later but his effort could only find the side-netting.

By the time the half-time whistle was blown, PSG had not managed a single shot on target.

The only real difference between first half and the start of the second was that Bayern made their quality count on the scoreboard.

PSG had more of the ball after the break, and there were certainly moments of encouragement. Kylian Mbappe was sent on from the bench and they naturally looked a much better side for it.

Bayern edged into the lead before that, though. Half-time substitute Alphonso Davies made an immediate impact with the cross, and Coman finished neatly under the body of Donnarumma.

With Mbappe on the pitch, though, PSG were much improved. He had the ball in the net late on, but VAR correctly ruled it out for an offside in the build-up.

Lionel Messi went close seconds later, but Pavard produced an incredible block to keep the scores level.

However, in truth, an equaliser would have been more than they deserved and Bayern closed the game out to claim a first leg leg. Only a late red card to Pavard in injury time soured the night for the Bavarians.

PSG player ratings (4-4-2)
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe brought a spark / Clive Rose/GettyImages
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6/10 – Not called into action as often as he should have been given Bayern’s first-half dominance.

RB: Achraf Hakimi – 6/10 – Couple of solid blocks here and there but not as influential as we know he can be.

CB: Marquinhos – 6/10 – Solid although never spectacular.

CB: Sergio Ramos – 7/10 – Showed all of his experience, especially in the first half.

LB: Nuno Mendes – 7/10 – Definitely one of PSG’s top performers.

RM: Warren Zaire-Emery – 6/10 – Tough night for the 16-year-old but he was far from PSG’s biggest problem.

CM: Danilo Pereira – 6/10 – Struggled, along with the rest of the PSG midfield.

CM: Marco Verratti – 6/10 – PSG needed him to be much better than he was on the night.

LM: Carlos Soler – 7/10 – Raided down the PSG left well with Nuno Mendes.

CF: Neymar – 6/10 – Was okay, but not anywhere the level you know he can be.

CF: Lionel Messi – 7/10 – Lacked some of his usual sparkle but still a constant threat.

Substitutes
SUB: Presnel Kimpembe (46′ for Hakimi) – 6/10 – Defended well enough.

SUB: Kylian Mbappe (57′ for Soler) – 7/10 – Definitely made his presence felt.

SUB: Fabian Ruiz (57′ for Zaire-Emery) – 6/10 – Struggled to make an impact.

SUB: Vitinha (75′ for Danilo) – N/A

Manager
Christophe Galtier – 3/10 – Has to take a large slice of responsibility for PSG’s failures with his team selection and set-up.

Bayern Munich player ratings (3-4-2-1)
FBL-EUR-C1-PSG-BAYERN MUNICH
A good team performance / FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages
GK: Yann Sommer – 6/10 – Would have been expecting a much bigger test than he got.

CB: Benjamin Pavard – 7/10 – Influential in both attack and defence.

CB: Dayot Upamecano – 8/10 – Colossal presence at the heart of the defence.

CB: Matthijs De Ligt – 7/10 – Played his part in containing PSG’s brilliant attacking players.

RM: Cancelo – 6/10 – Still settling into the Bayern side.

CM: Joshua Kimmich – 8/10 – The dominant midfield player on the pitch.

CM: Leon Goretzka – 7/10 – Not dominant, but tidy enough.

LM: Kingsley Coman – 9/10 – A constant threat all night. Best player on the pitch.

AM: Leroy Sane – 6/10 – Largely ineffectual. Capable of much better.

AM: Jamal Musiala – 7/10 – A threat with his relentlessly clever movement.

CF: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – 7/10 – Made a genuine nuisance of himself.

Substitutes
SUB: Alphonso Davies (46′ for Cancelo) – 7/10 – Made a real impact from the bench.

SUB: Thomas Muller (76′ for Choupo-Moting) – N/A