5 goals, 2 red cards, 2 penalties. The first half of the Champions League match between Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday was an eventful one.
Defending champions PSG won 7-2 to take the lead on goal difference, but it was a breathtaking first half that stood out at BayArena.
Germany, coached by Luis Enrique, led 4-1 at halftime, and a fierce battle ensued from the moment William Paccio scored the first goal with a header in the seventh minute.
What followed was chaos, with both teams down to 10 men and Leverkusen conceding two penalties.
Alex Grimaldo hit the post in the 25th and was denied the lead.
Eight minutes later, Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich was given a red after a VAR check for an elbow on Desiree Douai. However, PSG were later sent off for a foul on Cristian Kofane, who had Ilia Zabarny passing through the ball. Zabarny also gave away the first penalty.
This time Leverkusen took advantage of Aleix Garcia’s conversion.
If this provided a lifeline for the home side, it didn’t last long as PSG went into overdrive.
In the 41st minute, the French giants regained the lead with Desire Due’s snap shot inside the box, and in the 44th minute, Hvitya Kvaratskhelia fired a shot into the top corner of the post.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Duet scored his second goal with a low curling shot.
The action didn’t stop after the break.
Nuno Mendes extended PSG’s lead within five minutes, but Garcia scored his second goal with a long shot into the top corner, giving the home crowd a cheer.
Remarkably, Garcia’s celebration was muted and it did not start a fightback, with substitutes Ousmane Dembele and Vicinha completing PSG’s rout.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
