Akin Ayomide
Luis Diaz scored twice and was sent off as Bayern Munich maintained their perfect record this season with a statement 2-1 win away to title-holders Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in a glamour Champions League tie marred by a first-half injury to Achraf Hakimi.
The Colombian gave Bayern a fourth-minute lead at the Parc des Princes and then pounced on slack defending to score again just after the half-hour mark.
However, the former Liverpool winger was then shown a red card in first-half stoppage time following a rash challenge on Hakimi which forced PSG’s Moroccan star off in tears.
Joao Neves pulled one back for PSG but Bayern held on despite playing the entire second half a man down, and despite Harry Kane failing to add to his 25 goals for club and country this season.
That in part illustrates the impact on PSG of losing the attacking thrust of all-action right-back Hakimi.
The German side’s sensational start to the campaign has seen them win all 16 games in all competitions, including their first four in the Champions League — they have scored 56 goals altogether and are one of only two clubs with 12 points in the 36-team standings in Europe’s elite competition alongside Arsenal.
As Vincent Kompany’s men march on, it remains to be seen what the consequences for PSG will be of the injury to Hakimi, who 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.
Luis Enrique’s team, who won last season’s Champions League final in style against Inter Milan in Munich, have been hampered by fitness issues in this campaign — Desire Doue, the best player in that final, was already missing here due to injury.
The actual consequences of losing this encounter may be less problematic than the injuries, however. PSG came into this midweek on top of the Champions League standings and they remain well placed to qualify for the knockout rounds halfway through the league phase. 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.