Harry Kane praised the defending on display despite Bayern Munich’s 5-4 Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat at Paris Saint-Germain — a view that drew pushback from Wayne Rooney.
The nine-goal thriller, the first European semi-final where both sides scored four or more, saw Kane open the scoring from the penalty spot. Speaking to Amazon Prime at full-time, Kane said: “Even though there was nine goals scored, there was some amazing defending out there. You’ve got the best players in the world. The best attackers, the best defenders. Of course, sometimes the attackers are going to come out on top and show their quality… I thought they were outstanding.”
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany backed that take and questioned anyone unhappy with the goals, agreeing with Kane that the defending had been “good.” Rooney, however, disagreed on Amazon Prime. “I love Harry Kane,” Rooney said, “but there’s no way he can be praising his defenders. Maybe because they are his team-mates. He’s trying to give them a bit of confidence for next week. The defending from both teams was really bad, if he’s being honest. Both teams have so much quality at the top end of the pitch that they probably forgot to defend. That means we get to enjoy some great goals.”
Rooney added that elite attackers find ways through and suggested a lack of defensive communication is partly to blame. “You used to hear Jamie Carragher screaming at his defenders for Liverpool… You don’t get that level of communication now. That’s as a result of the coaching,” Rooney said, calling the game “crazy and chaotic.” He also suggested PSG might have sat deeper after going 5-2 up instead of hunting more goals, saying: “Luis Enrique is a top coach so when they get the advantage of 5-2, I think he should have said ‘let’s shut up shop and get behind the ball’. But they went for more goals and Vincent Kompany has got a very attack-minded team. We saw some immature defending, which is crazy.”
Match timeline at a glance:
– 17′ — Kane (pen) opens the scoring for Bayern
– 24′ — Khvicha Kvaratskhelia levels for PSG with a stunning effort
– 33′ — João Neves heads PSG in front from a corner
– 41′ — Olise blasts Bayern level
– 45+5′ — Ousmane Dembélé (pen) restores PSG’s lead
– 56′ — Kvaratskhelia doubles his tally
– 58′ — Dembélé makes it 4-2 with an excellent strike
– 65′ — Upamecano heads one back for Bayern
– 68′ — Jamal Díaz gives Bayern renewed hope after VAR overturns an offside call
PSG coach Luis Enrique gave a candid assessment: “We won the match, of course, we are happy, very happy. But after being 5-2 up you think you can have a better result. I think we deserved to win the match, but we also deserved to draw and we even deserved to lose.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, on CBS Sports, sided with the view that the attacking quality was exceptional. “Every attacking player on the pitch was an eight or nine out of 10. Every attacking player got the better of their counterpart… it felt like the goals were just great goals. It wasn’t like defenders made a fool of themselves. The attacking play was that high it was almost impossible to stop the goals.”
Thierry Henry, also on CBS, praised the risk-taking on show: “We’ve been talking a lot about teams who don’t take enough risks… Tonight we had plenty of risk. If we have our defensive hats on you might go crazy with what you saw tonight. But I don’t care. People have been complaining football is boring. That game was not boring. It was just crazy at times.”
Sky Sports commentator Callum Bishop described the match as a spectacle and “poetry in motion,” likening moments to classic Champions League memories and urging fans to celebrate such open, free-flowing contests — even if they frustrate goalkeepers and defenders.
Fan replies shared by Sky Sports captured the emotion of neutrals and supporters alike:
– Mark: “This is how football should be played, fast, entertaining, end to end.”
– Scott B: “Feel sorry for anyone who missed that game. Great day to be a neutral.”
– Joe: “Not only was that the greatest Champions League semi-final ever, but one of the best games ever.”
– Andrew: “There are levels to this game. This game has proven to all English clubs that they’ve got some catching up to do.”
– Mikey: “I’m an Arsenal fan, but whoever goes through from our tie has no hope in the final!”
With the tie finely balanced and plenty of debate about defending versus attacking quality, the return leg promises at least another 90 minutes of high drama.