On Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5-4 in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League semi-final (second leg on May 6). Here are the player ratings given by Le Parisien and L’Équipe to the capital club’s players (find ours here).
Le Parisien :
Kvaratskhelia (8.5) – Dembélé (7.5) – Doué (6)
Neves (6) – Vitinha (6) – Zaïre-Emery (6)
Nuno Mendes (3.5) – Pacho (5) – Marquinhos (5) – Hakimi (6)
Safonov (6)
L’Equipe :
Luis Enrique – 6
Kvaratskhelia (9) – Dembélé (8) – Doué (6)
Neves (7) – Vitinha (5) – Zaïre-Emery (7)
Nuno Mendes (3) – Pacho (3) – Marquinhos (3) – Hakimi (5)
Safonov (5)
A match that will divide opinions. There’s a glass half empty and a glass half full. Conceding four goals suggests a shaky defense. However, we must also acknowledge the strength of the opposition and recognize that the Parisian defenders weren’t as “bad” as L’Equipe’s ratings suggest. But ultimately, a nine-goal match inevitably reveals weaknesses and strengths, and in this otherwise impressive game, some players shone brighter than others.
Kvaratskhelia was exceptional, Dembélé was the attacking leader, and Neves was the linchpin in midfield. We must also note Hakimi’s tireless running (though he received a poor overall rating). It’s difficult to analyze the game; it’s a match for the fans, less so for the analysts. A match of pure enjoyment, but it’s worth noting that the Parisian team could perhaps have defended better, especially when the score was significantly in their favor.
