Bayern Munich extended their winning run at the start of the 2025–26 season to 16 games in all competitions, and this was their most impressive yet beating Paris Saint-Germain 2–1.
Vincent Kompany’s side have emerged as potential usurpers in Europe, and the manner of their performance will have many believing that the Bundesliga leaders can snatch PSG’s crown.
The visitors were nothing short of sensational in the opening 45 minutes, but Luis Díaz’s red card helped PSG turn the tide. The holders were lifted by João Neves’ header, which halved the deficit midway through the second period, but they were unable to breach Manuel Neuer’s defense for a second time to earn a point.
Bayern’s slickness evolved into vintage grittiness, with two equally impressive faces shown in their statement triumph.
PSG Player Ratings vs. Bayern Munich (4-3-3)
GK: Lucas Chevalier—6.1: Has been called into question at the start of the season, but he wasn’t to blame for PSG falling two goals behind.
RB: Achraf Hakimi—6.1: Forced off at the end of the first half as a result of Díaz’s red card-worthy challenge.
CB: Marquinhos—6.0: Was this Marquinhos’s “leave the football before the football leaves you” game? PSG sorely missed the suspended Illia Zabarnyi.
CB: Willian Pacho—6.1: Pacho is brilliant, but there was nothing he could do to stop Bayern from running amok in the first half. Runners came from all angles.
LB: Nuno Mendes—7.1: Beaten by an out-to-in Michael Olise run for the opening goal, but was perhaps PSG’s brightest spark when he ventured forward. Wouldn’t mind seeing those two go at it again later in the season.
CM: Vitinha—7.2: Blown away in the opening period, with Bayern having plenty of joy when they overloaded the slight Portuguese midfielder between the lines. However, Vitinha touched the ball more than anyone and was incisive in the second period.
CM: Fabián Ruiz—6.8: Fabián isn’t quite at full tilt, but he was responsible for crafting PSG’s two best attacking moments in the first half.
CM: Warren Zaïre-Emery—6.8: The Frenchman played the entirety of the contest, and offered some sequences of dynamism when PSG were trying to get back into the game. Had a good chance saved at 2–1.
RW: Bradley Barcola—6.8: Outside of a wonderful touch to bring down Fabián’s pinpoint pass in behind, there were few bright moments for Barcola.
ST: Ousmané Dembélé—6.0: Chested in what he thought was an equalizing goal, only for it to be ruled it following VAR intervention. Subsequently withdrew due to an injury.
LW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—7.1: Erratic for the most part, with his execution of the final action off.
Subs not used: Matvey Safonov (GK), Renato Marin (GK), Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Hernandez, Quentin Ndjantou, Ibrahim Mbaye.
Bayern Munich vs. PSG Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Manuel Neuer—8.3: Even when PSG’s pressure ramped up late on, Neuer wasn’t tested too much. Saves were mostly comfortable, but he did well to deny Zaïre-Emery from equalizing.
RB: Konrad Laimer—7.5: Kompany’s utilization of his fullbacks is pretty unique (and certainly bold). Nonetheless, Laimer is thriving down the right. So much energy, but sound one-on-one defensively, too.
CB: Jonathan Tah—7.0: Some of his interventions were vital when Bayern were clinging on.
CB: Dayot Upamecano—7.2: The Frenchman has long been doubted since making the Bavarian leap, but Kompany is getting the best out of him. Upamecano was a tone-setter for the away side here, and he defended the Bayern box immensely in the second half.
LB: Josip Stanišić—7.4: Found himself in some dangerous attacking positions, and held up defensively for the most part.
CM: Joshua Kimmich—7.3: A gritty performance from the captain, who didn’t have much of a say in possession, but he scrapped and harried throughout.
CM: Aleksandar Pavlović—6.7: The German international didn’t appear all that influential, with Bayern’s fullbacks and forwards doing much of the first-half damage. His positioning was exploited once or twice when the away side aimed to contain.
RW: Michael Olise—7.8: Got the better of Mendes early, and had a couple of half-chances to kill the game in the second half. Worked his socks off defensively
AM: Serge Gnabry—7.4: Sacrificed for greater solidity after Bayern went down to ten. His reinvention a No. 10 has helped Gnabry rediscover a groove similar to his 2019–20 apex.
LW: Luis Díaz—7.8: From hero to zero. Díaz was outstanding up until his nasty-looking challenge saw him dismissed.
ST: Harry Kane—7.0: Some of the positions he takes up now are just absurd. He’s a holding midfielder masquerading as one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation. Kane came into his own when Bayern went down to ten, drawing fouls at will to relieve pressure.
Subs not used: Sven Ulreich (GK), Jonas Urbig (GK), Nicolas Jackson, Raphaël Guerreiro, Sacha Boey, Lennart Karl.
PSG 1–2 Bayern Munich—How It Unfolded at the Parc des Princes
Vincent Kompany knew that only the “perfect game” would be enough to down the holders in Paris, with Bayern Munich entering Tuesday night’s blockbuster having won 15 out of 15 to start the 2025–26 season.
Well, the perfection Kompany craved was certainly achieved in a scintillating opening 45 minutes of Bayern football. This was a performance of the highest order, and merely a two-goal advantage entering half-time didn’t reflect their overwhelming superiority.
A ferocious press was complemented by some scintillating interplay that had PSG in a perpetual daze, with Luis Díaz’s two goals manifesting their brilliance in all phases. However, the Colombian’s red card for a challenge from behind on Achraf Hakimi threatened to compromise Bayern’s utopia.
2 - Luis Díaz is only the second player to score twice and be sent off in a UEFA Champions League match, after Antoine Griezmann in October 2021 for Atlético against Liverpool. Double. pic.twitter.com/1ntkH0kUEr
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 4, 2025
The hosts, who’d been thoroughly outclassed, lost Ousmané Dembélé to an injury after he had an equalizing goal ruled out for offside, but suddenly had a lifeline for the second half.
Luis Enrique opted for the touchline in the second period, having initially opted to enjoy Bayern’s brilliance from a bird’s eye perspective. However, the visitors, after Díaz’s dismissal, entered digging-in mode.
It was all PSG, although Bayern still had the quality to escape the hosts’ counter-press and enjoy some dangerous counter-attacking sequences. The Bundesliga leaders had seemed relatively comfortable despite PSG’s monopoly of the ball, but Enrique’s introduction of Gonçalo Ramos and João Neves helped the hosts move through the gears.
It was Neves who brought the holders back into the game by heading home Lee Kang-in’s cross, and PSG’s pressure in the aftermath was unrelenting. The dazzling then stern Bayern suddenly appeared shook, aware that the Parisian beast had finally awoken from his slumber.
Manuel Neuer was forced into action to deny Warren Zaïre-Emery, while Neves went close with another header. Bayern were pleading for mere seconds of respite, but they got there. A 16th win on the bounce, with their credentials laid bare at the home of the reigning champions.
PSG vs. Bayern Munich Halftime Stats
PSG vs. Bayern Munich Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG vs. Bayern Munich Player Ratings: Brilliant Bayern Show Two Sides in Impressive Win.