Five Observations from Bayern Munich’s absurd 5-4 loss to Paris Saint-Germain

When your worst enemy is yourself

Bayern Munich had this game set up perfectly. The game plan was set. The penalty early in the first half should have had a cascading effect, wherein Paris Saint-Germain would have to chase the game in front of their home crowd.

How do you let that chance slip?

On a micro level, there are individual performances to blame. Josip Stanišić got badly beaten by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the first goal. Poor corner defending cost the team on the second goal. The third was a combination of two factors — a failure to clear the ball after a corner, and Alphonso Davies making a split-second mistake. Then there was the second half, where the team got sliced open trying to chase the game.

PSG had chances they didn’t take. Ousmane Dembélé missed a 1v1 with Manuel Neuer. Senny Mayulu hit the post. Other chances came and went. But they pale in comparison to the number of times Bayern Munich got inside the PSG half, then failed to even register a shot on goal.

These numbers won’t reflect in the xG statistics, but FC Bayern created an extraordinary number of attacking sequences vs the Parisians. Harry Kane into Michael Olise who failed to beat the keeper; Olise hitting the post; Jamal Musiala free inside the box and deciding not to shoot — the list goes on. The problem is, none of them resulted in goals.

Therefore, in general, you can say that the tactical gameplan envisioned by Vincent Kompany worked. By the end of the game, it was Bayern who were gunning for the equalizer, with Paris wasting time and defending in their own box.

So on a macro level, Bayern’s problem was execution. The plan should have carried the team to victory, but the players didn’t execute on the level they needed to. Individual errors at the back compounded by timid shooting up front created a lethal cocktail that downed the Bavarians despite a valiant effort.

This is not the time for self-congratulatory platitudes. The team should look at themselves and the game they just played, and consider the opportunities they missed. The mistakes made. The chances not taken. Only they can fix this now. It is in their hands.

Let’s not even talk about the goals. Neuer should have done better on at least three of them. A penalty is a penalty, and Kvara’s first goal was basically impossible to stop. He turned back the clock against Real Madrid, but these last two games in the Champions League show that he’s not an elite keeper anymore.

However, there is one aspect of Neuer’s keeping even more crucial than the shot stopping — his distribution. It used to be the best in the world. Now, in 2026, it is a deep strategic liability for Bayern Munich.

Luis Enrique instructed Paris Saint-Germain to press high. Bayern countered by doing what they’ve always done: passing the ball back to Neuer to send up field. However, Neuer’s long balls were woefully inaccurate. Under pressure, he often sent the ball out of play; otherwise it was always a possession turnover for PSG.

Effectively, what Neuer did, was turn every PSG high pressing sequence into a turnover. The effect this had on the team was devastating. The Parisians got full license to build out from the back over and over again, inviting pressure on the Bayern defense. No amount of counterpressing can stop that. The fact that they scored over and over is no surprise.

At this point, Vincent Kompany needs to be brave and put Jonas Urbig in goal for the second leg. Neuer is not offering anything with the gloves or the ball at his feet. Urbig is a sniper in possession and a decent shot-stopper. He’s nowhere near as good as Neuer used to be, but he’s better than Neuer is right now. That’s what matters.

Luis Díaz and Michael Olise were the men of the night, each scoring a goal, but also terrorizing their respective fullbacks. Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes will have nightmares about tonight with the way it went for them. In the second leg, Luis Enrique may decide to double up on the flanks.

Dayot Upamecano deserves an especially big shoutout. Once again defending like a fullback on the flanks, he mostly shut down attacks coming on his side. People will blame him for the goals conceded, but he genuinely had nothing to do with the complete organizational collapse that happened around him. And as for how many goals he stopped with his high-IQ defending, it’s hard to even quantify.

These three players stand out from Bayern’s loss. They need to bring their form to the second leg, or Bayern won’t stand a chance.

Surprisingly good refereeing

Bayern Munich fans will complain about the penalty, but referee Sandro Schärer did a solid job keeping the game honest and free-flowing. Neither side was favored for fouls, and his on-field communication was excellent.

The referee played things by the book. He let play go on, then stopped for the VAR to make a decision where appropriate. The calls didn’t take very long and there was no communication about what was being checked.

Of course, both teams came to play football, so there wasn’t much in the way of dark arts or playacting to manage. However the referee did a solid job, and should be recognized for that.

Going into the second leg in Munich, Bayern Munich fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The situation is bad, but it could have been worse. The team did well to fight back from being three goals behind.

However, anyone who thinks that this team will win convincingly at the Allianz Arena has not been paying attention. Bayern Munich and PSG are too evenly matched, too similar in playstyle, have too many holes at the back to make it a one-sided game. And we saw against Real Madrid that FC Bayern can easily turn a home game into a quagmire if the situation allows it.

Still, we’ll all be there to watch. Who would ever miss a game like that?

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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