Munich [Germany], April 30: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany readily admitted he didn't enjoy watching their memorable Champions League match at Paris Saint-Germain from the stands but he will be back on the touchline for the return leg where both teams aim to go all in again.
"No I didn't," Kompany, who was suspended for the game, said laughing when quizzed by PSG coach Luis Enrique in a brief exchange in the bowels of the Parc des Princes.
The stadium had earlier witnessed an extraordinary semi-final where Bayern led 1-0, then trailed 5-2 but clawed back to lose only 5-4 which means there is still all to play for next week Wednesday in Munich.
Kompany added in the news conference: "I didn't enjoy this experience. The emotions on the pitch are different. But I did enjoy a little bit in the upper tier how my team came back."
Match for the ages
Title holders PSG led 3-2 at the half, making it the first semi-final with five goals in a first half. The nine goals have only been matched once before in a semi-final match, in the distant past when Eintracht Frankfurt won 6-3 at Rangers in 1960.
"It was unbelievable, I have no words. I think that was the best match I've ever experienced as a coach. Both teams wanted to play, both have enormous quality. I think everyone enjoyed watching this match," Enrique said.
Playmaker Vitinha added: "It was a fantastic match of football. We loved playing it and I think all football fans were happy to watch it." Kompany said: "When two teams go into a match like this with this idea, then that's exactly what can happen. I already had a feeling that a match like that was possible."
Media reactions in Europe echoed this as Spanish sports paper AS named the match "an ode to football," England's Daily Mail said "wow, just wow," and Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport declared: "PSG and Bayern, you are incredible."
Top class attacks
The match fully lived up to its hype as it pitted the two arguably best and most attack-minded teams in Europe against each other. PSG improved their competition goal tally to 43 and Bayern now have 42, both close to Barcelona's record 45 from 1999-00.
That record could be under threat in Munich when the formidable front lines of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Debele (who had a brace each) and Desire Doue on PSG's side and the Bayern's trio of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz (who all scored on the night for now 100 season goals between them) meet again.
"We won't change our philosophy," Dembele vowed, although he also admitted that "maybe we could've controlled it better at 5-2." Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich revealed he was wondering "what is going on here" at that stage of the match because "we were certainly not three goals worse."
Bayern's comebacks
Bayern's fightback could prove decisive on the road to the May 30 final in Budapest where they want to lift the trophy a seventh time and possible complete a third treble in club history.
Although they didn't win this time it was Bayern's fourth fightback in April alone, having won 3-2 in Freiburg from 2-0 down in the 81st minute and 4-3 in Mainz from 3-0 down at the half in the Bundesliga, and 4-3 after trailing 3-2 until the 88th minute in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid.
"We've handled setbacks well because we don't let things like that stop us - we just keep going," defender Jonathan Tah said.
"You saw that we can score a lot of goals. Of course, we conceded too many tonight, but in the end it's only a one-goal margin. We'll go into the return leg with full confidence, give it everything and then want to be in the final." Kompany said: "We have a week now to work on the things we need to improve.The belief is 100% there, as is the feeling. We need our fans and their support with the same passion we had against Madrid."
PSG hand Bayern
rare defeat
PSG could however also hold their heads up high because they ended a run of five straight Champions League defeats against Bayern.
They became only the third team to beat Bayern, who were playing their 50th official match this season, the others being Arsenal in the league stage in autumn and Augsburg in the Bundesliga in January.
"We're obviously happy that we won, and we shouldn't forget: Bayern have only lost three matches this season. That shows how well we did today," Enrique said.
PSG have fond memories of Munich's arena were in their last visit they trounced Inter Milan 5-0 in the final 11 months ago.
"It's a stadium that brings us so many happy memories, we won our first Champions League there. Bayern will be there with their fans - we'll show the same mentality. We'll go there to win the match," Enrique said.
Added Vitinha: "We head to Munich with the same desire and, above all, the same aim: to play well and to win, like we always do."
Source: Qatar Tribune
