The unthinkable has happened against PSG! Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich were caught completely off guard by this setback

Debates about potentially overly risky defensive strategies seemed to bounce off the key players from both teams. Instead, they repeated like a mantra that they had no intention of deviating from their approach. Better to emphasise their strengths than dwell on weaknesses. In the meantime, PSG drew 2-2 with FC Lorient in the league and Bayern Munich drew 3-3 with 1. FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga; for the Munich side, it marked the end of a week in which they had conceded eleven goals in three matches.

So, what if they ship two, three or even four again in the return leg against PSG? Simple: they'll just have to bang in three, four or five—goalscoring, they insist, is the last thing they worry about. That was the Bavarians' mantra after the first-leg defeat. In that light, Ousmane Dembélé's early 0-1 strike was only a minor jolt. Just another deficit to erase—bring on the goals. Bayern now needed at least two goals, and the only question was when the first would arrive.

Yet the minutes ticked by: the score remained 0-1 in the seventh minute, the ninth, half-time and even after 90 minutes. Only deep in injury time did Harry Kane finally head the equaliser. Too late. Bayern are out of the Champions League.

Joshua Kimmich was asked afterwards what the Munich side had been lacking in this second leg. "Goals," he replied. An obvious answer, yet for FC Bayern in recent months it has been a surprising problem precisely because it is new. Failing because they concede too many goals is one thing. Failing because they score too few seems unthinkable. 

Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Diaz had recently been finding the net with clockwork regularity; Uli Hoeneß might have been handing out apple pie at the same rate. One moment they were setting a new Bundesliga goalscoring record, the next they were breezing past the 100-goal mark. Overall, Bayern had banged in 175 goals in 52 competitive matches this term—well over three per outing. 

Yet in the biggest game of all, the Bavarians failed to find the net. It was only the fourth time this season they had scored fewer than two goals in a match, and the first time in eleven games. "We simply weren't clinical enough today," said goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. "We weren't sharp enough up front."

After taking an early lead, PSG understandably adopted a more tactical approach, dropping deeper and looking to hit Bayern on the break. Yet their counter-attacks either fizzled out or were cut off by the outstanding Neuer. Meanwhile, Bayern laid siege to the visitors' penalty area, enjoying plenty of possession and growing ever more furious—and desperate—after a series of controversial refereeing decisions.

Time and again, Luis Diaz, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala drove forward, but their crosses and shots lacked precision. PSG conceded attempts, yet few came from genuinely dangerous positions. Bayern's 18 efforts added up to an xG value of only 1.4, underlining the lack of clear-cut openings. Striker Harry Kane grew increasingly frustrated as he held the ball up and challenged defenders, yet he failed to look dangerous until his late strike.

"We didn't have many really clear-cut chances where we could say: 'That's a 100 per cent chance'," Neuer analysed. The best opportunities fell to Olise (27') and Jonathan Tah (45'+3). PSG manager Vincent Kompany praised his side's "incredible defending against crosses and the space behind the defence", while sporting director Max Eberl admitted, "We hardly ever had time to get into space. When we did, we were straight back at their penalty area, but even there they defended perfectly."

In the end, Luis Enrique delivered a verdict that mirrored Bayern's self-assessment: "Today, our defence was better than our attack." That disciplined rearguard performance means PSG will enter the final against Arsenal as even stronger favourites than if they had relied on another offensive showcase.