After three months of absence, the biggest football competition in Europe, the UEFA Champions League, returned on Tuesday night as the round of 16 began.
The biggest match of the first knockout phase took place at the Parc des Princes, where Paris Saint-Germain hosted Bayern Munich, but it was the German side that emerged victorious in the first leg encounter right at the heart of their enemy’s backyard.
It was a dominant performance from Bayern Munich in the first half of the encounter and had 10 shots attempts in search of an opener but couldn’t find their intended target, while PSG only had one attempt – their fewest tally in the first half of a UEFA Champions League game since April 12, 2016, at Manchester City.
Meanwhile, eight minutes into the second half, nemesis found PSG when their former player Kingsley Coman scored through Alphonso Davies from the left side of the pitch to put Bayern ahead.
On the cusp of the game, Kylian Mbappé, who started the match from the match after a late injury recovery, put the ball into the back of the net but was ruled out for offside by VAR.
The France international was impressive and changed the game’s dynamic since his introduction in the 57th minute, but his efforts were not enough to save his side from defeat as Bayern Munich headed home with a vital win.
Bayern Munich finished the game with 10 men after Benjamin Pavard was sent off in the last minutes for picking up a second yellow card of the night, thus ruling him out of the second-leg tie.
Meanwhile, at the San Siro Stadium in Italy, AC Milan defeated Premier League side Tottenham Hotspurs 1-0, thanks to Brahmin Diaz’s only goal.
The match’s only goal came in the seventh minute when Brahmin Diaz scored a header from close range after goalkeeper Fraser Forster had pulled off a double save from Theo Hernández and Diaz himself.
The rest of the match ended without another goal in the back of the net as the Rossoneri went into the second leg at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium with an advantage.
