Diaz brace, then red card, as 10-man Bayern withstand PSG siege | OneFootball

Bayern Munich extended their perfect start to the season with a gritty 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. The visitors had to overcome a red card to Luis Diaz to make it 16 straight victories in all competitions.

The Colombian winger was both hero and villain on the night, scoring twice in the first half before being sent off for a reckless challenge on Achraf Hakimi just before the break.

His dismissal turned what looked like a comfortable night into a test of Bayern’s resilience, but they held firm under heavy pressure to stay top of the Champions League table.

Bayern’s start was electric. Within four minutes, Serge Gnabry’s clever flick released Michael Olise through on goal, and although Lucas Chevalier saved the initial effort, Diaz reacted fastest to lash in the rebound.

The visitors’ intensity caught PSG cold, and their pressing soon forced more mistakes from Luis Enrique’s side.

Midway through the half, Ousmane Dembele thought he had equalised, only for VAR to rule him offside.

Moments later, PSG captain Marquinhos was caught in possession on the edge of his box by Diaz, who pounced to slot in his second of the night with a composed finish.

Bayern were in complete control until stoppage time at the end of the first half, when Diaz lunged into a reckless tackle on Hakimi. Referee Maurizio Mariani initially showed a yellow card but upgraded it to red after a VAR review.

Hakimi limped off in tears, and PSG sensed an opportunity to turn the tide.The second half became a siege. PSG dominated possession, pinning Bayern deep inside their half, while Manuel Neuer was called into action to deny Bradley Barcola and Vitinha.

The hosts finally found a breakthrough in the 74th minute when substitute Joao Neves acrobatically turned in a cross from Lee Kang-in to halve the deficit.

Neves came close again minutes later with a glancing header that flew narrowly wide, but Bayern’s defensive organisation held. Matthijs de Ligt and Kim Min-jae stood firm as the 10 men weathered wave after wave of late pressure.

When the final whistle blew, Bayern’s players celebrated as though they had won a final. It was another display of their growing steel under pressure — and another sign that Vincent Kompany’s side mean business in Europe this season.

Sixteen games, sixteen wins. Even reduced to ten men, Bayern found a way to stay perfect.