Luis Diaz shines and stumbles in Bayerns victory over PSG in Champions League clash
Luis Diaz netted a brace before receiving his marching orders as Bayern Munich preserved their flawless run this term with an impressive 2-1 triumph at reigning champions Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday in a high profile Champions League encounter overshadowed by a first half knock to Achraf Hakimi.
The Colombian forward opened the scoring for Bayern in the fourth minute at Parc des Princes and capitalised on loose play at the back to double his tally shortly past the half hour.
Yet the ex Liverpool wide man saw red in added time of the opening period after a reckless lunge on Hakimi that left PSGs Moroccan talent in visible distress and exiting the pitch.
Joao Neves netted a consolation for PSG but Bayern resisted despite being reduced to ten men for the full second half even as Harry Kane could not extend his tally of 25 strikes across club and international duties this season.
This somewhat highlights the void left in PSGs forward momentum by the absence of their dynamic right back Hakimi.
The Bundesliga outfits blistering form has resulted in victories in all 16 fixtures across competitions including their opening four in the Champions League where they have netted 56 times in total and sit alongside Arsenal as one of just two sides on 12 points in the 36 team league phase of Europes premier club tournament.
With Vincent Kompanys squad continuing their surge it is unclear what repercussions PSG will face from Hakimis injury ahead of his role captaining Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations on home turf next month.
PSG were also forced to withdraw Ballon dOr recipient Ousmane Dembele during the first half truncating his second outing in two months following a hamstring setback.
Luis Enriques squad who triumphed in last terms Champions League showpiece against Inter Milan in Munich have been plagued by injury woes this year with Desire Doue the standout performer from that match already sidelined here.
The fallout from this defeat might prove less severe than the physical tolls however as PSG entered the fixture leading the Champions League table and still hold strong positions for direct qualification at the midway point of the league stage.
This clash pitted the tournaments top two after three matches and echoed the 2020 final where Bayern edged a 1-0 win in Lisbon.
Hakimi in distress
It also revisited the Club World Cup last eight which PSG claimed 2-0 in Atlanta last July marking the last time the Bavarians tasted competitive defeat.
The away side rose to the challenge by converting their initial chance as Michael Olise was thwarted by custodian Lucas Chevalier but the rebound kindly fell to Diaz for the finish.
The home team had barely threatened before briefly celebrating an equaliser midway through the first half as Dembele nodded in Fabian Ruizs effort from point blank range.
That goal was chalked off for offside however and Dembele soon made way for Lee Kang in retreating directly to the dressing room in a move supporters trust was merely cautious.
A frenetic phase near the half hour mark saw Bradley Barcola nearly score for the Parisians while Serge Gnabry unleashed a strike that cannoned off one upright and clipped the other en route out.
Bayern then struck again on 32 minutes with Diaz dispossessing a dithering Marquinhos outside the box and coolly slotting home.
A Josip Stanisic effort for the visitors was disallowed prior to Diaz turning from star to sinner right on half time with a clumsy hack at Hakimi that twisted the Moroccans left ankle painfully.
As Hakimi wept and was assisted from the field replaced by Senny Mayulu the official issued Diaz a caution then escalated it to a dismissal post review.
PSG found it tough to capitalise on their numerical edge after the break until replacement Neves tucked away a close range effort from Lees deflected delivery on 74 minutes sparking a tense conclusion though Bayern stood firm.