PARIS – Paris St Germain reached the Champions League semi-finals despite a 1-0 home defeat by holders Bayern Munich on Tuesday as they progressed on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate result in a thriller that was on a knife edge until the final whistle.
Bayern striker Eric Choupo-Moting scored the only goal before the interval but it was not enough to overturn the German side’s 3-2 loss in last week’s first leg.
Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG side, which struggled at times in Munich, had the clearest chances but lacked efficiency, with Neymar hitting the woodwork twice and Kylian Mbappe’s speed proving tough to handle but with no end product.
PSG kept their composure in a nerve-wrecking finale to book a last-four spot against Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund, who play on Wednesday, as they aim to reach the final for the second year in a row in their third semi-final appearance.
Bayern eventually paid for the absence of injured talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski and forward Serge Gnabry, who had tested positive for COVID-19, while PSG managed to live without captain Marquinhos and influential midfielder Marco Verrati.
Meanwhile, Chelsea hung on to reach the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win despite Mehdi Taremi’s stunning overhead kick in added time handing Porto a 1-0 victory in the quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.
The substitute was responsible for his side’s only attempt on target as they chased a 2-0 deficit from last week’s first leg but he provided an emphatic response in a cagey game with his acrobatic strike deep into added time.
Thomas Tuchel’s side had a healthy lead from last week’s away game in Seville and had to withstand an intense start from Porto in their home leg back at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, the venue of both games due to Portugal’s coronavirus restrictions. (Reuters)
