Tuesday 5 December 2017 22:56, UK
Corentin Tolisso scored twice as Bayern Munich secured an impressive 3-1 victory over PSG at the Allianz Arena although the result was not enough for them to win Group B.
Robert Lewandowski gave the hosts a dream start when he swept a shot in from close range after eight minutes before Tolisso doubled Bayern's lead on 37 minutes with a precise header.
PSG improved after the interval and reduced the deficit five minutes into the second half through Kylian Mbappe before Tolisso added his second and Bayern's third (69) with another assured finish.
Bayern Munich required a win by four goals to usurp their opponents at the top of Group B and while they were unable to get the result they needed, they join PSG in the draw for the last 16 which takes place in Nyon next Monday.
Knowing that only an emphatic win would secure top spot in the group, Bayern Munich started the game quickly and they made their early pressure count as Lewandowski converted clinically from close range after David Alaba had headed the ball into his path from James Rodriguez's cross.
PSG were second-best in the opening 45 minutes but should have drawn level on the half-hour mark. Mbappe darted infield from his right-wing berth and dissected the Bayern defence with an inch-perfect pass with the outside of his foot, but Sven Ulreich was equal to Neymar's shot, diverting it wide.
Rodriguez was involved in the first goal and supplied a brilliant assist for the second as he drifted out to the left wing again before sweeping a wonderful cross into the path of the former Lyon man Tolisso to power home on the run with his head.
Having collapsed in spectacular fashion in last season's Champions League defeat to Barcelona, PSG's players would have been desperate to avoid a repeat performance and their nerves would have been settled somewhat when Mbappe nodded beyond Ulreich after Edinson Cavani majestically flicked the ball into his path.
Bayern re-opened their two-goal advantage less than 20 minutes later, though, as Tolisso calmly slotted the ball past Alphonse Areola after great work from Kingsley Coman, who picked him out intelligently in the middle after breezing past Dani Alves on the left flank.
Both teams had opportunities to add to their goal tallies with both Mbappe and Lewandowski squandering great chances in stoppage time but in the end, they both secured progression into the knockout stages after each winning five of their six matches.
James Rodriguez's deliveries into the box were sensational in the first half while Kingsley Coman tormented both of PSG's full-backs throughout the game and also grabbed an assist.
However, Corentin Tolisso deserves the man of the match award after taking both of his goals brilliantly to give his side a two-goal cushion twice in the game.
After starting his career with Lyon as a defensive midfielder, Tolisso has added goals to his game over the past 18 months and is becoming an increasingly prominent member of the Bayern side.
Both teams will find out who they will face in the knockout rounds with the Champions League last-16 draw taking place in Nyon on Monday, December 11 at 11am GMT.
Before that, Bayern Munich face Eintracht Frankfurt away on Saturday while PSG will be looking to bounce back from successive defeats when they face Lille at the Parc des Princes, also on Saturday.
