Paris knocked out in the Last 16

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There was a tremendous atmosphere ahead of what was sure to be a fantastic European battle in Munich. For the Parisians, the goal was clear: make up for the 1-0 first-leg deficit of three weeks ago. Without Neymar Jr and Presnel Kimpembe, Christophe Galtier opted for an in-form Mbappé-Messi duo up front with Marquinhos-Ramos-Danilo the three-man backline tasked with keeping the hosts at bay.

There was technical quality, tactical nous and physical strength as the two European heavyweights went toe-to-toe. The Rouge-et-Bleu created a number of promising openings, but needed Gigio Donnarumma to be alert to keep Bayern at bay, notably Jamal Musiala (31') just after the half-hour mark. 

There were chances for the Parisians too, notably for Leo Messi after an attack started by Nuno Mendes' jet-heeled burst forward (24'). But like in the first leg, there was a major blow: Marquinhos was forced off through injury (35'). There was still another big chance for Vitinha, though, but he saw his shot cleared off the goalline (37'). 

With Nordi Mukiele, who had replaced Marquinhos, forced off at half-time, the Parisian pack was shuffled once again.  A change of position did not change Danilo Pereira's contribution, which was immense. But even he could do nothing when - after he had seen a goal ruled out (52') - Choupo-Moting opened the scoring (1-0, 60') to leave Paris needing to score at least twice.

There were chances, such as for Sergio Ramos, who saw a powerful header saved (63'). But as they pushed forward, Gnabry struck on the counter-attack to leave all Parisian efforts in vain (2-0, 89')...

Frustration was the overriding emotion at full-time, but there is no time to dwell with Paris Saint-Germain's domestic title challenge still on track. Football can be cruel sometimes, but the city of Paris' motto means we have to bounce back: Fluctuat nec mergitur