vincent company was at the center of the post-match criticism after PSG beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Parc des Princes. Wayne Rooney said the defending from both sides was “really bad” after a match that produced nine goals and left Bayern with work to do in the return leg.
5-4 was the final score after PSG led 5-2 in the 58th minute, then conceded twice in three minutes. Rooney said there have got to be questions asked, and he added: “Both teams have got so much quality at the top end of the pitch that they probably forgot to defend a little bit.”
Rooney’s 58th-minute criticism
58th minute pressure turned into chaos when Bayern pulled two goals back in three minutes, narrowing what had looked like a runaway first-leg advantage. Rooney said: “It was crazy, it was chaotic and we saw some great goals. [But] I just don’t see how, if you’re a player or a coach – no matter if you’ve won the game – how you can go into that dressing room after conceding four or five goals and be happy.”
Three minutes was all Bayern needed to change the tone of the tie, and Rooney used that swing to attack the structure behind both teams’ attacking play. He added: “There’s got to be questions asked, the defenders asking questions of the forwards, why they’re not helping them defend.”
Seedorf on Vincent Kompany
Nine goals in a Champions League semi-final tie matched the record for a European Cup semi-final, and Clarence Seedorf pushed the critique further. The former Champions League winner said he could not believe a word of what Vincent Kompany was saying about being happy with how Bayern defended, and he argued that defending starts with organization, not just a deep block.
Harry Kane took a different line, praising his side’s defending at times, but Rooney disputed that view as well. He said: “I love Harry Kane but there is no way he can be praising his defenders. The defending from both teams was really bad from both teams, I think he is being modest there.”
Wednesday 6 May in Munich
Bayern go into the second leg behind on aggregate, with Rooney saying they are “in the driving seat” because they are going to their home stadium, where he described the atmosphere as “really tough.” He added that they are “probably a bit more balanced as well,” but he finished with the same demand that framed the night in Paris: “They have to defend better.”
Wednesday 6 May now carries the weight of a one-goal deficit, a home crowd, and a back line that both Rooney and Seedorf picked apart after the first leg.
