Bayern Munich 1-0 PSG: Bild player ratings

Bayern Munich got the leg up on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash. Bold lineup choices by both managers saw Thomas Müller benched and a teenager start for PSG. Still, there’ll be all to play for on March 8 when the Parisians arrive in Bavaria.

Here’s how Bild rated the proceedings:

• A little harsh on João Cancelo! The Manchester City loanee put in good work pressing and recovering the ball — tracking back to make a key defensive intervention in the first half when Lionel Messi and Warren Zaïre-Emery combined to slip the ball behind the Bayern center-backs. Cancelo also delivered sumptuous crosses, though there weren’t enough targets.
• Gianluigi Donnarumma didn’t have the best of games, and it’s never a good look when a shot slips right through underneath a keeper to land in the net. However, Coman put the juice on that one, to be fair, and the Italian made other nice saves.
• This 16-year-old at PSG, Zaïre-Emery, really made his mark on the game. One of the most dangerous players on the pitch for Paris. Nuno Mendes also put in a strong game-chasing effort after Kingsley Coman’s substitution.
• Alphonso Davies didn’t make the cleanest introduction of himself but put in a real beaut of a cross. Wing-back to wing-back, that whole play was a thing of beauty.
• Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting played a solid game in the end, and was unlucky to only hit the post.
• Julian Nagelsmann 1, Christophe Galtier 4: the clear contrast here is probably accurately reflective of the day. Galtier may not have had Mbappé but whatever Paris showed in the first half, they’re lucky to still be in the tie at all.

Interested in a more in-depth and critical look at the performance? Why not check out our postgame podcast? Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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