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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) secured a thrilling 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in a high-scoring UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, taking a slight advantage into the return fixture in Munich.
Bayern struck first when Harry Kane converted a penalty in the 17th minute. The hosts PSG responded swiftly, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia levelling the score in the 24th minute after an impressive individual effort. The hosts went ahead in the 33rd minute through Joao Neves, who headed in a corner delivered by Ousmane Dembele. However, Bayern levelled the score just before the halftime mark, as Michael Olise struck powerfully in the 41st minute. PSG regained the lead on the stroke of halftime when Ousmane Dembele converted from the penalty spot after a VAR review ruled a foul by Alphonso Davies. The French side extended its advantage early in the second half. Kvaratskhelia netted his second goal in the 56th minute, finishing a move initiated by Achraf Hakimi. Moments later, Dembele added another goal on a counter-attack to make it 5-2. Bayern mounted a late comeback, with Dayot Upamecano scoring in the 65th minute from a free kick taken by Joshua Kimmich. Luis Diaz then reduced the deficit further in the 68th minute, with VAR confirming his goal after an initial offside call. Despite the late pressure, PSG held on to secure a one-goal lead heading into the second leg. The tie will now move to the Allianz Arena on May 6, where the winner on aggregate will face either Atletico Madrid or Arsenal in the final. According to ESPN, the nine-goal thriller between PSG and Bayern marked the highest-scoring semi-final in UEFA Champions League history. The match also set a new benchmark for goals in the first half of a semi-final or final, with five goals scored before the break. Overall, it became the second-highest scoring match in the knockout stages of the competition, behind Bayern Munich's 8-2 win over FC Barcelona in the 2020 quarterfinal. It was only the second instance in a Champions League knockout stage match where both teams scored four or more goals, the previous being the 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Liverpool in the 2008 quarterfinal second leg. Additionally, both PSG and Bayern crossed the 40-goal mark in a single Champions League campaign, a first in the tournament's history. Notably, this was just the third time a team has ended up on the losing side despite scoring four goals in a Champions League match. (ANI)
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