Champions League semis: PSG-Leipzig and Lyon-Bayern

PSG, Bayern Munich, Leipzig, and Lyon are our improbable semifinalists for the Covid-19-impacted UEFA 2019-20 Champions League.

PSG, ridding its lucky stars to the end won 2-1 over surprisingly competitive dark horse Atalanta with an inspired Neymar willing his teammates to victory despite his own poor night finishing.

The Brazilian star, Neymar, played his best game since the elimination matches for the 2018 World Cup, missing several goals off fabulous plays he created, setting up Mauro Icardi countless times for sure goals on a night the Italian was simply not able to score, but persevering and leading his PSG team to a win that seemed out of reach as the clock wound down. Yet, finally, Neymar ended up both assisting on Marquinhos’ tying score at the 90^th and setting up Kylian Mbappe for the cross that Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting would tap into the net at the 93^rd for the win.

In a devastating display of their disparity of fortunes, Bayern Munich put eight goals past Barcelona, in an 8-2 demolition of the crumbling Catalan empire. In a display that laid bare why they beat Juventus, Lyon defeated Manchester City 3-1 with a two-goal eight-minute spurt that put the game away for the French. The intensity Lyon displayed was never matched by either of their superior opponents in these one-of matches and the Frenchmen’s hard work won out both times.

RB Leipzig defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a display that left Diego Simeone’s side gasping for breath and with few options to exploit. Joao Felix’s late entry (58^th) was too little too late but did garner Atleti’s only score.

As the semifinals loom, Bayern Munich seem the unassailable favorite and should defeat Lyon, while PSG, if Neymar plays at his best, seems the better and more inspired side in their match with Leipzig. The only question remaining is will a tank-of-a-team such as Bayern simply steamroll over all competitors to win the cup or will another inspired performance from one of the remaining three surprise us all. A Bayern-PSG final seems in the making, but it would take a near-perfect performance by the French, and a fast recovery for a number of their stars, for that to even be a possibility. For now, let’s enjoy the most improbable semifinals.