PSG vs Bayern: Enrique hails 5-4 win as best of his coaching career, Kompany rues touchline suspension 'catastrophe'

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)  registered a thrilling 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 semifinal at Parc des Princes in Paris. Nine goals were scored in a Champions League semifinal for the first time in the history of the competition as fans were served with a stunning display of attacking football from both the sides.

Harry Kane scored from the spot in the 17th minute to kickstart the goal fest in Paris. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia levelled scores soon before Joao Neves made it 2-1 in favour of PSG. Michael Olise tied the scores once again in the 41st minute but Ousmane Dembele's goal from the spot just before the half-time whistle pushed PSG ahead once again.

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Kvaratskhelia and Dembele doubled their goal count soon after the break as the Ligue 1 champions took a 5-2 lead by the 58th minute. The German side then made a comeback through strikes from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz but still fell short by a goal.

Enrique hails match as best of his career

Luis Enrique, the manager of PSG, said that he had never witnessed such an intense contest in his coaching career.

"I have never seen a match with this kind of intensity," Enrique said after the match. "This is not the time to point out flaws; we just need to congratulate everyone.

"We deserved to win, we deserved to draw and we deserved to lose today. It was a fantastic match. It has been, without a doubt, the best match I have ever been involved in as a coach."

"I'm so tired, and I didn't run a single kilometer. So I don't know how the players are feeling."

He said that his side will try to show the same mentality when they visit Munich for the second leg.

"I just asked my staff, 'How many goals do you think we will need to win this match?' They said, 'Minimum three.' Bayern Munich in their stadium are even stronger, but we will try and show the same mentality."

Kompany says not being on touchline was 'catastrophe'

Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany who was facing a one-match suspension from the touchline was gutted that he had to follow the action from far away.

“It was an absolute catastrophe,” Kompany said about his absence at the post-match press conference. “I didn’t enjoy this experience at all. Of course, I was allowed to have some contact with my coaching team. But that’s nothing compared to the emotion on the pitch."

He also praised his team for keeping the game alive despite scoring five times and said that he wants full support of fans for the return leg.

“When two teams start a game with such mindset, this can happen. I had a feeling a game like this was in the cards. If you concede five goals on the road, it’s usually over, but we scored four and could certainly have scored two or three more in this game.”

“We need the fittest people to deliver the full force of the Allianz Arena,” Kompany concluded. “All that’s required of us, Bayern Munich, is that we win the game. It’s not about 3-0, 4-0. Not yet. We just need to win the game. We need full support.”

The second leg of the semifinal fixture between the two teams will be played on May 6 in Munich.