What we're covering
• PSG takes the lead: The French giant makes it 2-1 on the night off a great goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and a header from João Neves. The Bavarians had a 1-0 advantage after a Harry Kane goal from the penalty spot opened the scoring in this semifinal first leg of the Champions League. It’s the first clash of the penultimate round of the world’s premier club competition.
• French giant looking to repeat: Les Parisiens are looking to be the second team to ever defend the Champions League in its current modern format after Real Madrid. Los Blancos achieved a three-peat from 2016 to 2018.
• Bayern aims for treble: The Bavarian giant has already clinched the Bundesliga (German league) and is in the German Cup final. If Bayern can make it past PSG, it will be in great position to win a rare treble (three major trophies in a single season).
• Cobertura en directo en español: sigue toda nuestra cobertura de las semifinales de la Liga de Campeones en CNN en Español.
Kvicha Kvaratskhelia shines yet again
Cometh the hour, cometh the man!
Tonight at the Parc des Princes is as star-studded as it gets. Of all the talent on show though in the French capital, few possess the mesmerizing brilliance of Georgia international star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Kvara scored an absolute wonder-goal in the quarterfinals against Liverpool as the Reds were well beaten 4-0 on aggregate.
What a signing the 25-year-old has been from Napoli where he helped the Serie A giant win the title during his time there. He dribbles for fun, making the game look so easy in the process. He has a prodigious eye for goal too.
During this season’s Champions League, he’s now netted nine times chipping in with five assists and I suspect he’s far from done.
Désiré Doué almost scores PSG's third of the night
Blink and you really will miss something here.
Bayern wasted a golden chance to equalize and almost gets punished right away.
A wonderful fluid passing move from PSG releases Désiré Doué down the right, but the winger drags his shot just wide.
The players are playing with so much freedom here. It’s everything we expected and more.
Goal! João Neves scores as PSG leads 2-1
What a game this is.
João Neves heads in from a corner as PSG completes its comeback. He’s one of the smallest men on the pitch, but the midfielder times his run to perfection, guiding his effort into the far side of the goal.
That corner came after Désiré Doué almost scored a wonderful solo goal. Moments before that, Michael Olise almost did the same for Bayern.
I like soccer.
Goal! What an answer from Kvaratskhelia to make it 1-1
And now it IS 1-1.
After Dembélé wasted his chance to level, his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia bailed him out.
The Georgian is so dangerous coming off the wing and he once again bends in a wonderful shot to equal the scoreline.
That exact move and finish has become his trademark. Defenders know what he is going to do, but few can stop him.
This game is electric and my hands hurt already from typing.
Dembélé misses a golden chance to level the scoreline
What on earth was that…
Ousmane Dembélé was just played clear through and has so much time to pick out his finish.
But the Frenchman opens his body up too much and sends his effort well clear of the post.
That should be 1-1.
PSG's Marquinhos now walking a tight-rope after yellow card
Before that frenzy of activity, I was mentioning individual battles and another one to look out for is Bayern striker Harry Kane up against PSG’s veteran defender Marquinhos.
The Brazilian centerback will have to be at his best to stop arguably the most in-form player in the world and his night has been made much harder after picking up an early yellow card.
Marquinhos was given the caution after standing in the way of Luis Díaz as the Colombian tried to break down the left wing.
Huge chance for Bayern to double its lead
Michael Olise was picked out in the box with so much space but the winger sees his shot well-saved by Paris’ goalkeeper.
PSG’s defense needs to settle or this tie could get away from them.
Bayern takes the lead through Harry Kane, 1-0
Harry Kane scores his penalty – of course he does. It’s his 54th goal across all competitions this season. Wow!
The Englishman looked like the coolest man in Paris as he stepped up to take that.
Advantage Bayern and a huge reminder for PSG of how dangerous the Germans can be on the break.
Penalty to Bayern Munich!
Luis Díaz goes down in the box and the referee points to the penalty spot.
A huge chance for Bayern to take the lead here. Harry Kane has the ball in his hands.
Individual battles all over the pitch in the early stages
With so many world-class players on display, almost every position on the pitch is hosting an individual battle.
The one I’m most looking forward to is Bayern winger Michael Olise against PSG defender Nuno Mendes, down Munich’s right-hand side.
Already, Olise has tried to run at his man. He got blocked by Mendes on the first occasion but just skipped past him on this second try.
You feel that mini-contest will be a crucial in this tie which has yet to really settle in the opening 10 minutes.
Kickoff in the Champions League semifinals!
Action is underway in the first semifinal clash of this season’s Champions League.
PSG, kitted out in blue and red, kicks off the first leg inside a rocking Parc des Princes stadium.
Where is Bayern manager Vincent Kompany?
You might have noticed that Bayern manager Vincent Kompany is not on the touchline for his team’s biggest game of the season.
That’s because the 40-year-old is suspended after picking up his third yellow card of this season’s competition – quite the feat for someone who’s not even on the pitch.
His last yellow card came after his protests during Bayern’s quarterfinal clash against Real Madrid in the previous stage.
Kompany will be replaced on the sideline by his assistant Aaron Danks, who is well thought of but certainly not experienced at this level.
Why PSG's Vitinha is so important
With all the attacking flair on display tonight, it might be easy to overlook the work done by PSG’s Vitinha.
The Portuguese midfielder is central to the way his team sets up attacks, conducting play like a quarterback in NFL.
Watch him tonight, always scanning and looking for space. He’ll demand the ball when under pressure and be the vocal point in the middle of the field.
I was at the match when Paris Saint-Germain won its first Champions League title last year and Vitinha, for me, was the best player on the pitch. A true master of his craft. Good things happen for Les Parisiens when he’s on the ball.
Bayern vs PSG "should be the final"
There is a growing sentiment in soccer fandom that tonight’s semifinal could ultimately be the game that decides this year’s winner.
That’s not to totally discount both Arsenal and Atlético Madrid on the other side of the draw, but it does speak to the fact that both PSG and Bayern Munich have been so superior this season.
Don’t just take my word for it – listen to Dutch soccer legend Ruud Gullit.
“That should be the final,” he told CNN Sports, speaking about today’s clash. “These teams are in their best shape, both of them.
“What I like about PSG is they work so hard without the ball. If they lose the ball, everybody runs like crazy to get the ball back – everybody.
“I love Bayern Munich as well. I love how they play, the philosophy, the style. So it’s going to be interesting between two teams who play the same tactics.”
A feast of attacking talent on display
In theory, today’s semifinal should be a real treat.
Both teams are stacked with world-class forwards and both play styles of soccer that lend themselves to an open, free-flowing game.
For Bayern, it’s all about the attacking trio of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz.
Kane has 53 goals and six assists across all competitions this season in the record-breaking season he’s having with Bayern and is the second highest scorer in this season’s Champions League (12 goals). He’ll be supported by possibly the most in-form winger in the world, Olise, who has 29 assists across all competitions this season and is tied for most assists in the UCL this year with eight.
For PSG, it’s all about the current Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé (16 goals and nine assists across all competitions), winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (16 goals and nine assists across all competitions) and the likes of Désiré Doué (12 goals and seven assists across all competitions) and Bradley Barcola.
There is just so much speed, flair and technique in Les Parisiens’ roster that it’s hard to know where the biggest threat is coming from.
Now that I’ve said all that, you can all but guarantee this will be a 0-0.
Recent history favors Bayern Munich
PSG and Bayern Munich have already played each other in this season’s Champions League.
The two sides came head-to-head during Matchday 4 of the league phase back in November, with Bayern winning 2-1 in Paris.
Luis Díaz scored twice for the German team on that occasion, before being sent off in the space of one half of soccer.
Though PSG looks like a different team now, Bayern has won its last five matches against Paris in the Champions League.
What all of these teams are chasing: Ol’ Big Ears
There aren’t many trophies like it.
As the creator of the redesigned Champions League trophy, Jörg Stadelmann, told UEFA.com, “It may not be an artistic masterpiece, but everybody in football is keen to get their hands on it.”
To be fair to Stadelmann, he was on a tight deadline as he had to finish before he left for his wedding and honeymoon.
“It had to be finished before March 28 (of that year),” Stadelmann told UEFA. “I did the finer work, then it was finished off by the engraver, Fred Bänninger. On time, I am glad to say.”
The new trophy commissioned by UEFA General Secretary Hans Bangerter was designed by the Swiss jeweler in 1967 and stands at 29 inches (73.5 cm) tall and weighs 16.5 pounds (7.5 kg).
Stadelmann told UEFA: “My father Hans and I went along to Herr Bangerter’s office and covered the whole floor with drawings. He made comments like, ‘The Bulgarians would like the bottom of that. The Spaniards would like this but the Italians would prefer that and the Germans would go for this.’ We put the design together like a jigsaw puzzle.”
All-in-all, the trophy officially named the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (or the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in English) took 340 hours to make.
The original European Cup, awarded to winners from the inaugural final in 1956 until the redesign in 1967, was smaller with much less prominent handles. The handles of the redesign are oversized and curved, earning the trophy the nickname “Ol’ Big Ears.”
In French, it’s “La Coupe aux Grandes Oreilles” or “the cup with big ears.” In Spanish, it’s known as “La Orejona” or “the big ear,” according to the New York Times.
Semifinal lineups released ahead of first leg
Here’s who will be starting for both teams in the first leg of the semifinal – and there are no major suprises.
Bayern will be spearheaded by a brilliant forward line, joined today by Jamal Musiala, who is working his way back to his best after returning from a long-term injury.
Meanwhile, Désiré Doué gets the nod over winger Bradley Barcola to join Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in PSG’s attack.
How Bayern Munich got to the semifinals
Bayern Munich has pretty much been an unstoppable juggernaut in every competition this season. The soccer giant wrapped up the Bundesliga title with three matches to go and is in the German Cup final against Stuttgart, where it will be a heavy favorite to win its first DFB-Pokal since 2020.
And in the Champions League, it’s been no different. Bayern won seven of its eight league phase matches, scoring 22 goals, conceding eight and losing only once away to Arsenal – also a UCL semifinalist.
In the round of 16, Bayern hammered Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate before coming up against what would be its toughest test: Real Madrid.
Despite the Germans winning both games, if you had watched the matches – particularly the second leg – there were times it looked as though Los Blancos were going to go through to the semis with their almost uncanny ability to turn it on in the Champions League.
However, just when the second leg seemed destined to head to extra-time, Eduardo Camavinga was sent off in controversial circumstances for time wasting (his second yellow of the night) and Bayern pounced to take the win.
And now, the Bavarians head to the Parc des Princes with dreams of a Champions League title.
How PSG got to the semifinals
It’s all feeling a bit familiar with PSG and the Champions League this season, and that should worry the French giant’s rivals.
Just like last season, Les Parisiens took a while to get going in this year’s competition, winning just four of their eight league stage matches.
It meant the reigning champion had to go through a playoff to reach the knockout rounds, eventually beating domestic rival AS Monaco 5-4 on aggregate across two drama-packed legs.
But, much like last campaign, PSG has found its form at just the right time and looks back to being one of the best teams in the world.
Luis Enrique’s side has since knocked out Chelsea in the round of 16, before seeing off Liverpool in the quarters to reach the last four.
Bayern, though, will be its toughest test in this season’s knockout stage to date.
