Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich faced off this Wednesday at the Allianz Arena in the second leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League semi-final (final on May 30 against Arsenal). The match ended with PSG qualifying 1-1 (5-6 on aggregate). After the match, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany spoke at a press conference.
Kompany: “How many times have you seen PSG like tonight?”
Your analysis: Was Bayern more nervous than usual?
You have to look at both sides. You’ve seen PSG play in recent years, how many times have you seen them like tonight? I think we managed to disrupt their game, their usual pressing. We had some very good positions. We beat their defenders several times. We had situations where other players made the difference. But our shooting wasn’t as threatening as usual.
I also have to give credit to PSG, who defended very well against crosses. They made their choices very well; it was very difficult to find a striker, a position, to get around the penalty area. But if you’ve seen PSG this season, it’s all about results; it’s not how they generally want to play. They’re a top team. Then there are the details (smiles).
Kompany: “On crosses or shots, they defended very well.”
What was the main difference between the first and second legs?
There was also intensity; both teams fought for every ball. Neither team had a lot of possession. Both teams may have learned from the first match; both teams were also more clinical in the first match. We had chances to score. Even if a shot from 20 meters can’t always be on target, we could make the goalkeeper work. We played against a special team. And despite that, if you look at PSG’s usual style of play, we managed to trouble them.
I’ve seen all their Champions League matches; they may win or lose, but there isn’t a single match where they aren’t dominant, where they aren’t the better team. Today wasn’t the case. But even so, they defended superbly. We were able to get past them in one-on-one situations, but then on crosses or shots, they defended very well. And we could have done better. It comes down to details. It was still a great match.
Kompany: “We also have a very different approach to certain decisions during the match.”
You avoided getting carried away after the match against Madrid and you still seem calm? Were you expecting PSG to adopt this tactic of scoring early to defend?
You have to avoid getting carried away and drama. You have to stay calm; we know that a day like this can happen. If you only analyze the result, there’s nothing interesting to see. I can say that the two matches were very close, decided by details. We also have very different ideas about certain decisions during the match. We have to recognize each other’s qualities, but we can’t say there was a great learning curve. They were two great teams.
Kompany: “We never got the decision for that.”
Why couldn’t you come back?
We came back, but too late. I’ve watched a lot of PSG matches; they’re a top team. But I feel that many things we did disrupted their game plan. We were able to break out of their press, but they defended very well afterward. There was a chain reaction to break.
That prevented us from having more chances, but we were able to create some. Then, if you put a team under pressure and they make mistakes, it can be fouls. Like a red card or a penalty. If we put them under pressure and they make mistakes, we did things right. But we never got the decision on that. They’re a great team, well done to them. We enjoyed the fight and we’ll do our best to be better next season.
