PARIS, April 29 — Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique admitted his team will likely need to score several more goals away to Bayern Munich next week to be sure of reaching another Champions League final after a remarkable 5-4 victory in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.

“I just asked my staff how many goals they thought we would need next week and we all think we will need to score at least three,” said the Spaniard, who masterminded PSG’s 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan in last season’s final.

That allowed them to win the Champions League for the first time in their history and next Wednesday’s semi-final second leg will be their first visit to the Allianz Arena since then.

“Bayern will of course be in their stadium and will be even stronger with their fans behind them but going back there will bring back beautiful memories for us. We want to have the same mentality and will go out to try to win the game.”

Tuesday’s thriller was the highest scoring semi-final match in the modern Champions League era – you have to go back to 1960 to find the last game as prolific at this stage of the European Cup.

That was a 6-3 win for Eintracht Frankfurt away to Rangers, before the Germans lost 7-3 in the final to Alfredo di Stefano’s Real Madrid.

“The intensity of the game throughout was exceptional,” said Luis Enrique.

“We won it and we are very pleased, but at 5-2 we thought we could have had a better result.

“We desverved to win, but we also deserved to draw and lose!”

‘Football is like religion’

A crazy first-half at the Parc des Princes saw Harry Kane give Bayern the lead with an early penalty, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Joao Neves strike for the hosts and Michael Olise then make it 2-2, only for an Ousmane Dembele penalty to put PSG back ahead at the interval.

Kvaratskhelia and Dembele then both scored for PSG before the hour mark, leaving them seemingly out of sight at 5-2, but Dayot Upamecano and Luis Diaz pulled goals back for Bayern.

That ensures it will be game on next week in Munich, and there is a strong chance this tie could become the most prolific ever in the Champions League.

The record for most goals in a two-legged tie in Europe’s elite club competition is 13, including in last season’s semi-final in which Inter beat Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate.

“I was proud of how we reacted at 5-2. It was incredible how the players fought back,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, who had to watch from the stands due to suspension, an experience he described as a “catastrophe”.

Asked about the attacking approach of the two teams, he added: “Football is a bit like religion – people believe what they believe, and there is not one style of play that is superior to another.

“What happened today was a clash of two similar ideas – normally in these situations you have one team that starts to sit back a bit but neither team wanted to do that and that is why the match was how it was,” he said.

Bayern will hope to overturn their one-goal deficit next week as they look to reach a first Champions League final since 2020.

“It can’t come quick enough,” Kompany said of the return leg.

“There is not much in it and we just need to win the game. The weight of our stadium can make a difference. It is a legendary venue where Bayern have had so many great successes.” — AFP

PARIS, April 29 — Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele scored twice each as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in an epic first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday – an extraordinary encounter that was the highest-scoring match ever at this stage of the competition.

The first half alone was crazy, with Harry Kane giving Bayern the lead from a penalty, only for Kvaratskhelia to equalise before Joao Neves headed the hosts in front at an enthralled Parc des Princes.

Michael Olise made it 2-2, but a Dembele penalty in first-half stoppage time had the reigning champions back ahead at the interval.

Kvaratskhelia, surely the standout player in this season’s Champions League, and Dembele both then scored again to have hosts PSG seemingly out of sight, only for Dayot Upamecano to pull one back before Luis Diaz made it 5-4.

An unforgettable game – perhaps better even than last season’s semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona – leaves the tie between the continent’s two best teams of the moment wonderfully poised for next Wednesday’s return at the Allianz Arena, with a place in the final in Budapest on May 30 on the line.

“I’m sure everyone who loves football really enjoyed watching that. It was a real pleasure to play in that game, the kind of game we dream of playing in as kids,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.

His team will be returning to Munich – scene of their 5-0 win over Inter in last year’s final – with the advantage, but Bayern will be confident they can overturn the narrow deficit at home.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha fights for the ball with Bayern Munich midfielder Konrad Laimer during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on April 28, 2026. — AFP pic

“We fought and we clawed and we’re back in the tie,” Kane told Amazon Prime. “I thought there was amazing defending even though there were nine goals.”

The French champions are seeking to become just the second side in the modern Champions League era to retain the trophy, while the German champions are hoping to reach the final for the first time since 2020, when they defeated PSG to lift the trophy for the sixth time.

Instant classic

Vincent Kompany’s team arrived in Paris having scored 167 goals this season, led by the remarkable Kane and his 53 goals in 45 appearances.

This tie had a lot to live up to, after Bayern’s spectacular win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, but it was an instant classic as both teams showcased their devastating firepower.

Bayern went ahead in the 17th minute as Willian Pacho chopped down Diaz and Kane converted the resulting penalty for his 54th of the campaign.

The visitors won 2-1 here in November in the league phase thanks to a Diaz double and they were the better team early on this time.

But their front-foot approach made them vulnerable to the counter-attack, and PSG’s leveller came just after the midway point in the first half.

The brilliant Kvaratskhelia broke clear of Josip Stanisic down the left before cutting inside and firing into the far corner.

Bayern Munich forward Luis Diaz shoots and scores his team’s fourth goal against Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on April 28, 2026. — AFP pic

A classic Kvaratskhelia goal was followed by Neves heading in Dembele’s corner on 33 minutes.

The action was only just getting started, however, as French international Olise drove towards the PSG box before smashing in for 2-2.

PSG then won a penalty at the end of the first half when a Dembele cross struck the arm of Alphonso Davies, the Canadian making his first start in the Champions League this season after injury.

It was given by the Swiss referee after a VAR check, and Dembele beat Manuel Neuer to make it 3-2 at half-time – a lead which PSG added to after the restart, leaving Bayern stunned.

Achraf Hakimi’s assist was swept in by Kvaratskhelia for 4-2 on 56 minutes, the Georgian getting his seventh goal in seven games in the knockout phase.

Bayern were not able to reset before Dembele surprised Neuer with a shot in off the near post to make it 5-2 with his second of the night.

But Bayern were not done, as Upamecano headed in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick to take Kompany’s side to 170 for their season tally.

Diaz, who was sent off in the November meeting, then dribbled past Marquinhos before slotting in for the night’s final goal, making it 5-4.

Kompany, watching from the stands due to suspension, would have been delighted with his team’s response – even if they were relieved to see Senny Mayulu’s late strike for PSG come back off Neuer’s crossbar. — AFP