Despite FC Bayern’s 1-0 win in the Champions League round of 16 first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, Stefan Effenberg still doesn’t see Munich with one foot in the quarter-finals.
“I don’t see any advantages for Bayern in this result, the chances of progressing are still 50:50,” wrote Effe in his column t-online before the second leg on March 8th: “Whether you play away or at home, as in the second leg, makes no difference in games at this level of quality – especially now that the away goals rule no longer exists.”
Bayern failed to get an even better starting position in the first leg, said the 54-year-old: “Because in the first half you wouldn’t have thought that there would be two top European teams on the field because Bayern didn’t get a single shot on the allowed their own goal. That was a class difference.”
Bayern had the game completely under control in the first half, Effenberg said: “However, they didn’t create much danger themselves, at least not a hundred percent chances. And when Kylian Mbappé came on, you saw what PSG is capable of . At first glance, the 1-0 is a top result, but also a very dangerous one.”
Effenberg also commented on Joshua Kimmich, who showed an “impressive” performance in Paris. “He never avoided a duel with Lionel Messi and Neymar and thus sent important signals to his opponents and also to his team-mates. You can only do that with a lot of aggressiveness,” said the former midfielder.
