Findings: PSG are strong, but Bayern have a huge advantage | OneFootball

FC Bayern beat Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final. FCBinside provides three insights into the match

Bayern won a fantastic game 4-3 in the end to advance to the semi-finals. The game provided the following insights

1. Neuer provides a reality check

In the first leg in Madrid, Manuel Neuer was Bayern’s hero and drove Kylian Mbappé and Co. to despair with several brilliant saves. Afterwards, the questions asked of him were: When will he sign a new Bayern contract? Doesn’t he have to go to the World Cup after all? Neuer himself reacted to this in a rather annoyed manner

In the second leg against Real, he then provided the absolute shock moment after less than a minute of play when he played the ball unchallenged into the feet of Real’s Arda Güler and the young Turk only had to tap into the empty net to make it 0:1. For a very brief moment, there was silence in the Allianz Arena

„I actually wanted to play to Stani on the outside, but I don’t hit it well at all,“ Neuer explained to DAZN after the match: „It was just a pig’s ball from me.“

Güler’s free-kick to make it 2-1 at one stage didn’t seem unstoppable either, but Neuer then made a great save from a difficult ball from Mbappé from close range

After all the euphoria surrounding him after the first leg, Neuer delivered a real reality check. The reality is that, at the age of 40, he has been oscillating between genius and madness for some time now. Every now and then, Neuer has real lapses. But then there are also world-class performances. Neither should be forgotten in the discussions about his future. In the end, however, Neuer was able to rely on his team-mates against Real, just as they had relied on their captain a week earlier

2. Bayern are in Champions mode

Bayern’s performance against Real was thrilling and the best soccer entertainment. Bayern’s game was full of passion and emotion

After Neuer’s blunder, the team could have folded so quickly that the hard-earned lead from the first leg was wiped out. But Bayern kept coming back. Kompany’s team equalised three times after falling behind. Luis Diaz’s 3:3 meant they would progress, but the FCB stars still hadn’t had enough and wanted the win. Michael Olise’s late 4:3 was the crowning moment of the evening. This performance was a demonstration of power

The crunch time of the season has often been invoked recently – now it’s all about rewarding themselves for the strong season so far. And Bayern are in absolute champion mode at precisely this stage. To win titles – especially in the top flight – you not only need footballing quality, but also the will to overcome resistance together

Joshua Kimmich, who put up a great fight as the leader of the FCB midfield, was surprisingly critical of Bayern’s performance after the game: „If you look at the performance, it wasn’t one of our better games. There’s a lot to improve,“ he said

There were indeed gaps in the defense from time to time and the stars in attack also had some problems against the Real defense for a long time

But: Bayern won in the end through sheer will. Munich showed how difficult they are to beat in the second leg against Real at the latest. The whole of soccer Europe took note of this after this crazy game at the latest

3. Bayern have a huge advantage against PSG

Paris Saint-Germain await Bayern in the semi-finals. According to Kimmich’s analysis, „the team with the strongest form“ in Europe. PSG did indeed show impressive soccer in their quarter-final against Liverpool FC, among others

Bayern and PSG have often crossed swords recently, with Bayern winning in the French capital in the league phase and the German record champions losing to the French side at the Club World Cup

In footballing terms, PSG are the most difficult possible opponents in the Champions League, but Bayern have a huge advantage: the second leg of the semi-final will also take place at home in the Allianz Arena

Against Real, the fans whipped the team to victory and the atmosphere was electric. The players and officials were delighted with the fans‘ support after the game

Even 45 minutes before kick-off, the South Curve was already cheering the team on during the warm-up. There was no music playing – just pure atmosphere. During the game, the whole stadium was like a 12th man

The home advantage is real and could also be a decisive factor against Paris. These Champions League nights in Munich are magical. The arena is already waiting for the next highlight in the top flight.