Wang Qinbo: Bayern is too strong! Paris was stunned and even lost 1st and 6th place in the Golden Ball

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Qinbo

For Paris Saint-Germain, losing to Bayern at home in the Champions League may not be a big tragedy. The real trouble is that Dembélé and Ashraf, who were ranked 1st and 6th in the Ballon d'Or selection, were injured in this game. Coupled with the injured Douay not long ago, the newly restored Paris main lineup once again faces the problem of being short of major generals for a long time.

Bayern, coached by Kompany, has won its first 15 games in all competitions this season. This is no accident. Even at the Parc des Princes, Bayern felt like they were playing at home, and started the "crushing mode" from the beginning of the game. Enrique's side are unable to produce the same pressing pace they did in the Champions League at the end of last season, and their fatigue has been going on for some time. Under Bayern's huge pressure, Paris' defense almost collapsed.

In the 4th minute of the game, Nuno Mendes accidentally made a clearance in the backcourt, and Bayern quickly pressed forward. Gnabry cleverly distributed the ball to Olise. Although Paris goalkeeper Chevalier blocked Olise's shot, Luis Dias followed up and scored in the middle of the penalty area, making the score 1-0.

Bayern's high-pressure press even made Paris continue to be weak even after conceding the ball. In the 23rd minute, Dembele outflanked the goal and scored a goal, but it was obviously offside, and he was dismissed due to injury.

Bayern's offensive continued unabated. In the 31st minute, Gnabry's shots hit the goalpost twice but failed. However, just a minute later, Bayern launched another strong attack. Marquinhos mistakenly thought that he had defused Kane's impact, but did not see Diaz coming out from an oblique stab. It was extremely rare in the Brazilian's career that the ball was cut off in the center of the defense. The Colombian calmly broke into the penalty area and shot successfully, expanding the score to 2-0.

Marquinhos' rare mistake exposed the Paris team's embarrassment after being fully pressured. The defeat had already occurred at the psychological level. Bayern even had multiple opportunities to rewrite the score to 3-0, but Bayern also paid the price for the more passion they played. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time in the first half, Dias made a dangerous tackle from behind during an interception and directly kicked Ashraf over. The VAR changed the decision to a red card and was sent off. The Moroccan fullback was also helped off the field.

Entering the second half, Paris, 11-on-10, began a crazy counterattack. In the 74th minute, João Neves, who came on as a substitute, received a cross from Li Gangren and shot a volley into the net to get a goal back. In the 78th minute, Neuer bravely saved Zaire Emery's close-range shot. In the 81st minute, Joao Neves' header went slightly wide. In the end, Bayern withstood the siege of Paris and won its 16th consecutive victory of the season, firmly ranking first in the Champions League standings.

After 4 rounds, Paris Saint-Germain has 3 wins, 1 loss and 9 points. Although it lost to Bayern, it still hopes to directly enter the knockout rounds, but the possibility of reaching the top two in the Champions League and obtaining the "golden channel" has been greatly reduced. The real trouble is the team's wave of injuries. Dembélé has returned to his glass-man state, and even full-time soldier Ashraf is injured.

Dembele asked to be substituted because of muscle pain. At that time, most online media said that he had a recurrence of an old injury, but after the game Enrique denied that it was related to the old injury. The media asserted at the time that it was an old injury because Dembele said he still had slight pain in his right thigh muscle after the Ligue 1 game against Nice. After Dembele returned this time, he only started once in 4 games until the Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain was actually very cautious towards him. But letting him start against Bayern is undoubtedly because of the considerable importance of the game, especially when Douai cannot play. Not playing Dembele means that the offensive power is relatively weak.

Dembele’s injury seems to be to his calf. He discovered the discomfort after his goal in the 22nd minute was ruled offside. He hardly made any sprints after that and quickly signaled to the coaching staff that he could not continue. Enrique revealed: "We have to wait for the test results tomorrow. As for Achraf, this is part of football, this sport is full of confrontation."

When Achraf left the Parc des Princes Stadium, the scene was much more serious than Dembele. He was wearing a cane and his left foot was wrapped in a protective boot. The Moroccan player's expression was stiff and his eyes were glassy. He was obviously extremely worried about the injury. As a full-time fighter, and a player with excellent physical strength and endurance, Ashraf has rarely been in a situation like Tuesday night in his career. After falling to the ground, he covered his left ankle in pain and burst into tears.

According to L'Equipe's initial judgment, Ashraf could barely walk a few steps with the help of protective boots after the game, which was regarded as a small positive sign. If there is a suspected fracture, you will not be allowed to try walking. What's even more tragic is that this day was Ashraf's 27th birthday. His family was watching the game in the stands, but he experienced one of the most painful moments in his career.

Enrique will have to use more young players such as Mayulu next. According to observations so far, these youth training players can better play the role of surprise players or the main force in the league. However, if they want to ensure their strength in the strong competition in the Champions League, in the absence of many generals, Enrique may not be able to find more magic formulas.