PSG Devastates Below-Par Bayern Munich

Paris Saint-Germain furthered their unbeaten home record against German opposition in the Champions League to seven consecutive games with a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening.

A game, which saw the visitors hold possession for long periods, featured a number of world-class counter-attacks, with all three goals comingcourtesy of pacy breaks and clinical finishing. 

An early opener from Dani Alves after superb play from Neymar set the tone for the night, a manner which continued thanks to Edison Cavani's wonder-strike after 30 minutes and continued blistering offence from Kylian Mbappe - whose persistence eventually paved the way for his Brazilian strike-partner to get on the scoresheet midway through the second-half.

It was the perfect opening for the hosts as Neymar put his mark on proceedings early on by setting up Alves who found himself in acres of space before putting his side ahead.

The world's most expensive player slithered his way past three Bayern defenders before poking a beautifully weighted pass into the path of the right-back, whose seemingly heavy touch suckered goalkeeper Sven Ulreich from his goal-line, ahead of the 34-year-old lashing his attempt home from inside the area before the clock had even ticked past two minutes.

After the blistering start the quality of play within the tie took a slight dip, with both sides struggling to retain possession for any meaningful period of time. However, moments after the quarter-hour mark the visitors were denied an equaliser only by a spectacular save from Alphonse Areola, whose fully-outstretched claw was just enough to deny the Javi Martinez's long-range volleyed blockbuster - which was certainly heading for the Frenchman's top right-hand corner.

However, as the half-hour mark passed it was in fact Paris who found the back of the net with a speculative finish, as Cavani netted his 10th goal in as many games thanks to an absolute stunner.

The Uruguayan was found on the edge of area by Mbappe, following the France international’s smart run in behind the Bayern defence, and the former Olympian did not have think twice before unleashing his effort first time, with the 30-year-old’s side-footed strike flying past the helpless Ulreich to double his side’s lead.

Following the break, the clash continued in the same high-intensity manner as the first-half ended, with chances at both ends inside the opening five minutes.

Bayern were the first to spurn a great opportunity as Martinez was denied yet again, this time cleared off the line by Alves after Areola stood motionless as the Spaniard’s header looked certain to get the Bundesliga side off the mark. But from the resulting counter-attack it was Neymar who should have put the hosts out of sight, however the Brazilian fluffed his lines from 12-yards with only Ulreich to beat after clever one-two play with Mbappe.

However, the former Barcelona attacker only had to wait another 10 minutes before finding the back of the net, with the big-money summer signing capitalising on an absurd piece of skill from Mbappe and indecision in the visitor’s defensive ranks.

The 18-year-old wonderkid somehow managed to find a way through the cluster of Bayern defenders on the right-hand side of the area with intricate footwork before attempting to square his pass across the six-yard box. Martinez was able to divert the teenager’s cross away from the path of onrushing attackers, however a lack of authority at the back proved costly as Neymar nipped in front of the centre-back to poke home and put PSG well on their way to securing all three points. 

As the tie ticked on PSG remained comfortable, with the victory seeing PSG now standalone top of Group B with back-to-back fixtures with Anderlecht up next.