Bayern Munich’s Julian Nagelsmann was surprised that they were allowed to be so dominant in their 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on TuesdayAMP.
German champions Bayern made the trip to Paris to face a PSG team that were only able name Kylian Mbappe as a substitute in one of the ties of the Champions League’s round of 16.
Until Mbappe was brought on shortly after Kingsley Coman’s decisive goal early in the second half, Bayern were in complete control.
The Bundesliga champions bossed 57.5 per cent of the possession in a first half in which they attempted 10 shots to just one from PSG.
Indeed, that PSG attempt, a blocked Lionel Messi free-kick in stoppage time, came after their longest wait for a first shot in a Champions League match since at least 2003-04.
Even with Mbappe missing from the starting XI, Bayern coach Nagelsmann had expected more from the home side.
Bayern coach Nagelsmann had hoped for more from the home team, even though Mbappe was not included in the starting lineup.
“We played a really good game in the first 25 minutes, had very good control,” he said. “We can play even more direct towards the goal.
“You had the feeling that we were very surprised that we had the ball so much and Paris wanted to do relatively little.
“I knew they always defend deep, but the fact that they’re so passive and so very deep and not really designed to win the ball surprised me a bit.”
The result was a repeat of Bayern’s victory over PSG in the 2020 final, a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Coman.
Only five knockout goals have been scored by Coman in the Champions League, but two of those goals have now been scored against his former team.
“I was born here in Paris. That’s why I didn’t cheer after my goal,” the winger explained of his muted celebration. “We’re happy that we won.”