AC Milan and Bayern Munich won the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday night.
Tottenham will need to mount a Champions League comeback after AC Milan won the first leg of their round of 16 match at the San Siro thanks to a goal from Brahim Diaz.
Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster made a spectacular save to stop Theo Hernandez’s initial follow-up attempt, as well as Diaz’s initial attempt.
Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp, a young midfield pair, successfully filled in for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s absence due to suspension and Rodrigo Bentancur’s injury for significant parts of Antonio Conte’s team’s match against the seven-time European champions.
Up until his withdrawal, their front three consisted of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, and Dejan Kulusevski, but they struggled to gain any forward momentum due to strong home defense.
Conte’s team appeared to be most capable of posing a threat from set pieces, with the exception of speculative long-range shots from Emerson Royal and Sarr. In addition, despite two excellent Son deliveries, neither Kane nor Eric Dier were able to direct headers on goal.
Spurs were ultimately grateful for the hosts’ inattention because Malick Thiaw of Germany and Charles de Ketelaere of Belgium both squandered excellent chances to give the Italian team a commanding lead in the game.
Spurs would have struggled to recover for the second leg on March 8 in London if either player had nodded in from close range.
To make matters worse for Spurs, Dier will be fined for receiving a second-half booking in the first leg, forcing them to play the game without him in March.
PSG is humbled by Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich defeated Paris St. Germain in their last-16 first-leg match, with Kingsley Coman repeating his heroics from the 2020 Champions League final.
With a volley, the Frenchman scored the game-winning goal in Paris early in the second half.
Coman also scored the lone goal as Bayern defeated PSG to win the trophy three years ago.
Substitute After returning from injury, Kylian Mbappe appeared to have secured a point for the home side, but his late goal was disallowed for offside in the buildup.
The video assistant referee (VAR) ruled left-back Nuno Mendes was narrowly offside before delivering a cross for Mbappe to finish into the roof of the net, cutting short the home celebrations.
Following defeats to Marseille in the Coupe de France and Monaco in Ligue 1, manager Christophe Galtier is under increasing pressure.
PSG, who have yet to win the Champions League, will now face a difficult task in the return leg on March 8 in Germany.
Mbappe, who had been expected to miss this game due to a thigh injury, was introduced after 57 minutes, but it was clear that he was not fully recovered.
PSG struggled to create any notable chances in the first half, while Bayern dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge until Coman’s goal in the 53rd minute.
Alphonso Davies’ long cross from the left was met with a first-time volley by the former PSG winger.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was beaten by Coman’s effort but came up big to deny Pavard and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.
With the addition of Mbappe, PSG gained momentum, and Yann Sommer saved his close-range shot before Bayern’s goalkeeper was overtaken in the 82nd minute. But the goal was overturned, and PSG lost 1-0 at home.
PSG, the Ligue 1 champions, have now lost three games in a row.
Bayern, on the other hand, are the favorites to advance to the quarterfinals after going undefeated in all competitions since September 17, despite having defender Benjamin Pavard sent off in overtime on Tuesday night.
After recovering from a hamstring injury, Lionel Messi was able to start up front for PSG, giving them an advantage over their opponents.
Warren Zaire-Emery, at the age of 16 years and 343 days, became the youngest player to ever start a Champions League knockout stage match.
Messi, 35, won his first Champions League title in 2006, the same year the Frenchman was born.
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