'A staggering 9 goals': A classic shootout rewrites UCL history, as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae face a bitter absence

*This content was translated by AI.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG, France) and Bayern Munich (Germany) staged a 'classic shootout' that rewrote European football history. The two teams combined for a staggering 9 goals, setting various records including the most goals ever scored in a single UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final match. However, Lee Kang-in (PSG) and Kim Min-jae (Munich) watched the game from the bench without playing a single minute.

On the 29th (Korea time), PSG defeated Munich 5-4 in the first leg of the 2025-2026 UCL quarterfinal held at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, securing a favorable position for reaching the final. PSG needs only a draw in the second leg, scheduled for the 7th of next month, to advance to the final.

Five goals were scored in the first half. Bayern Munich broke the deadlock first with a penalty kick goal by Harry Kane. PSG then turned the match around with consecutive goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and João Neves. After conceding an equalizer from Michael Olise, PSG regained the lead with an additional penalty kick goal by Ousmane Dembélé in stoppage time of the first half. The occurrence of five goals in the first half is a first-ever record in UCL quarterfinal history.

PSG took control of the match with consecutive goals from Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé in the 11th and 13th minutes of the second half, extending their lead to 5-2. In response, Bayern Munich quickly closed the gap to one goal with consecutive goals from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz. However, no further goals were scored. The ultimate winner of the 9th-goal shootout was PSG. According to football statistics provider Opta, today's match between the two teams set a new record for the most goals in a single UCL quarterfinal match and will go down in history as the second UCL tournament match since the 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Liverpool in the 2008-2009 season where both teams scored four or more goals.

However, neither Lee Kang-in nor Kim Min-jae became the protagonists in the match that drew global attention. When the matchup between the two teams was confirmed, interest and expectations were high for a so-called 'Korean derby' to unfold on the UCL quarterfinal stage. However, as predicted by local media outlets such as L'Équipe and Kicker just before the match, both Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae were excluded from the starting lineup and had to hope for a chance to come off the bench.

For PSG, which fielded an attacking lineup featuring Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, and Desire Doué, there was no urgent need to make a quick change to an attacking unit that had already scored five goals by the early to mid-second half. Lee Kang-in was effectively pushed to the lower end of the substitution order. Manager Luis Enrique substituted Doué for Bradley Barcola in the 25th minute of the second half and replaced Kvaratskhelia with Seny Malu, born in 2006, in the 39th minute. Lee Kang-in, who had delivered a brilliant performance with one goal and one assist in the French Ligue 1 match against Angers three days prior, could not get a chance today and was left with only regret.

Bayern Munich's center-back line also saw the 'starting lineup' of Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano take the field. Although the defense collapsed after conceding five goals by the 13th minute of the second half, none of the goals resulted from critical errors by the center-backs. In fact, Upamecano even scored a consolation goal from a free-kick situation. The Bayern Munich bench made changes to the wing defense, midfield, and forward line in sequence but did not use any substitution cards for the center-back line, and in fact, finished the match without using two of their available substitution cards. Kim Min-jae, too, failed to continue his full-time appearance streak from the previous match against Mainz. This marks his third consecutive absence in UCL tournament matches, following the first and second legs of the UCL Round of 16 against Real Madrid.

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*This content was translated by AI.