Luis Diaz scored twice and was later sent off as Bayern Munich extended their flawless start to the season with a gritty 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in a star-studded Champions League clash Tuesday, overshadowed by an injury to Achraf Hakimi.
The Colombian winger struck early at the Parc des Princes, finishing in the fourth minute before capitalizing on sloppy defending to double Bayern’s lead just past the half-hour mark.
But the former Liverpool player’s night turned sour when he was shown a straight red card in first-half stoppage time for a reckless challenge that left Hakimi in tears and forced the Moroccan off injured.
Joao Neves pulled one back for PSG after the break, yet Bayern – down to 10 men for the entire second half – stood firm to protect their lead. Harry Kane, who has already scored 25 times for club and country this season, failed to find the target, but Bayern’s resilience ensured they remain perfect.
The German champions have now won all 16 matches across competitions, including four straight in the Champions League, joining Arsenal as the only clubs with maximum points in Europe’s elite tournament.
"I know the Champions League winner is not decided now, otherwise PSG would not have won it last season,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. "But now it is just about getting to the next round, and this was a very important three points.”
As Bayern march on, questions remain about the consequences for PSG after Hakimi’s injury. The right back is due to lead Morocco into the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil next month.
PSG also saw Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele come off in the first half, cutting short just his second start in two months after a hamstring injury.
"We need to be watchful, and we are trying to improve the physical condition of the players, but it is not easy when you see how many games we have to play,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus.
His team, which won last season’s Champions League final in style against Inter Milan in Munich, is now being hampered by fitness issues. Desire Doue, the best player in that final, was already missing due to an injury.
The actual consequences of losing this encounter may be less damaging, however. PSG came into this midweek top of the Champions League standings and remain well placed to qualify for the knockout rounds.
"I can’t talk about the future. What we do know is that we have the hardest fixtures,” Luis Enrique said, with PSG set to face Tottenham next.
This was a heavyweight meeting of the Champions League’s top two after the first three games, and a repeat of the 2020 final won 1-0 by Bayern in Lisbon.
It was also a rerun of the Club World Cup quarterfinal won 2-0 by PSG in Atlanta in July, which remains Bayern’s last competitive loss.
This was a major test of Bayern’s credentials, but the visitors scored from their first opening, as Michael Olise was denied by goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier only for the loose ball to fall to Diaz, who fired in.
The hosts had not created anything before momentarily thinking they were level midway through the first half when Dembele chested in a Fabian Ruiz shot.
However, the effort was disallowed for offside, and Dembele was then replaced, making way for Lee Kang-in and heading straight down the tunnel in what PSG fans will hope was a precautionary move.
A whirlwind spell around the half-hour mark saw Bradley Barcola come close for Paris and Serge Gnabry hit both posts with a single effort at the other end.
Then Bayern struck again in the 32nd minute as Diaz robbed Marquinhos just outside the area and slotted home.
A Josip Stanisic strike for Bayern was ruled out before Diaz went from hero to villain on the stroke of halftime when he clumsily chopped down Hakimi, whose left ankle twisted under the challenge.
As Hakimi sobbed and was helped off, the referee initially showed Diaz a yellow card, then upgraded it to red after a video review.
PSG struggled to make the extra man count in the second half before substitute Neves fired in from close range off Lee’s deflected cross in the 74th minute. That set up a tense finish, but Bayern held on.