Bayern Munich saw off the visiting Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to eliminate Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and co from the champions league while AC Milan held firm against Tottenham to dump the Londoners from the competition.
Bayern beat PSG in the Champions League:
Playing with a 1-0 aggregate advantage at home, Bayern did look nervy at times but held firm to win 2-0 thanks to goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry.
PSG, without the services of Neymar, went hunting for the game-tying goal early but failed to take advantage of the home side’s slow start.
Messi was particularly active in the early stages of the game and had a couple of shots saved from close range before Jamal Musiala responded for Bayern but saw Gianluigi Donnarumma deny him the first goal.
Matthijs de Ligt kept Bayern from going down just before the break, saving Vitinha’s goal-bound effort after Yan Sommer had the ball taken away from him.
Chupo-Moting, a former PSG player, eventually got the sought-after goal for Bayern just past the hour mark when Leon Goretzka found him with a square pass in front of the goal for an easy finish.
At the other end, Sommer continued to deny PSG with superb saves from Sergio Ramos’ header and a Mbappe strike.
Gnabry then put the result beyond any doubt after finishing off a counterattack in the 89th minute.
The result likely seals Christophe Galtier’s fate as PSG coach next with fears already swirling that their vaunted trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe will all find new homes in the summer.
AC Milan vs Tottenham:
Milan held Tottenham to a goalless draw in London to secure their passage to the quarterfinals of the champions league, courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate win.
The home side offered little attacking prowess despite needing a goal and their fate was sealed 12 minutes from the time when Christian Romeo was sent off.
The Spurs have now been eliminated from the FA Cup, and the Champions League and have seen their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League suffer setbacks which likely means that Antonio Conte’s time with the club is up.
