UEFA Women's Champions League: FC Bayern beat PSG at Parc des Princes
| Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images |
FC Bayern climbed to second place in the UEFA Women's Champions League after a 2-1 win over PSG at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.
Bayern dominated the play from the get-go, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances. Uncharacteristically, Pernille Harder and Klara Bühl lacked precision with the first couple of opportunities before the captain Magdalena Eriksson failed to hit the target with a free header from a corner-kick.
There was also a lengthy VAR check that ended with Bayern's penalty-kick for a handball overturned because of an offside in the buildup. Before PSG even reached Bayern's box for the first time, Griedge Mbock denied Jovana Demnjanovic a clear goalscoring chance with a brilliant last-ditch tackle.
The Frauen-Bundesliga leaders took the lead a couple of minutes later. PSG'S captain Paulina Dudek struggled to stop Harder's dribble in the right flank before the Danish international spotted Linda Dallmann in the box. The cutback from the soon-34-year-old didn't reach the midfielder, but the goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek's attempt to block the ball resulted in an own-goal.
Surprisingly, PSG showed attacking intent after conceding the opener. That meant more spaces for Bayern to attack, and they doubled their advantage with a magnificent linkup play between Harder and Bühl after Momiko Tanikawa won possession in the final third.
Bühl, who didn't feature for the club since the matchday 3 draw with Real Madrid, scored her second Champions League goal of the season. Compared to the first-half, there were lots of actions in both boxes right after the restart. Kiedrzynek denied Bühl from scoring her tenth goal of the season with a decent save before her side halved the deficit.
Fellow Polish international Dudek scored from the penalty spot after Dallmann's handball twenty minutes into the second-half. Dallmann scored at the other end ten minutes before time, but it was from an offside position.
Despite their dominant display in the first 45 minutes, Bayern struggled for the majority of the second-half as the hosts looked to repeat what Manchester City did to the German giants in the opening matchday. However, the visitors still managed to see out the win to momentarily climb to second place.
FC Bayern have a perfect record away from home as their next game will also be on the road against Austria Vienna. Jose Barcala’s side will face second-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday as they aim to extend their lead in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
