PARIS (AP) — Vincent Kompany might have been the only spectator in the Parc des Princes who didn’t enjoy watching the thrilling Champions League semifinal game between his Bayern Munich team and Paris Saint-Germain.
Barred from the touchline as he served a one-game suspension, Kompany found it hard to be further from the action as he sat with staff in the media seats wearing an earpiece.
“It’s no fun,” Kompany told Prime Video. “If it never happens again, I’ll be satisfied.”
The twists and turns of PSG’s 5-4 first-leg win were clear to see on Kompany’s face. With assistant Aaron Danks taking charge on the touchline, Kompany was sharing smiles and handshakes with staff in the first half, but was stone-faced as his team slumped to 5-2 down before charging back into the contest.
“I can’t take decisions 80 meters (262 feet) away.” Kompany said. “But I appreciated the way the players responded, from high up in the stands.”
Kompany’s PSG counterpart Luis Enrique had a different view from the sideline, proclaiming it the best game he’s ever coached.
In the past, Luis Enrique has occasionally taken a seat in the stands of his own free will to get a tactical view of the game, but Kompany wasn’t convinced.
“I don’t know why. I wouldn’t do that,” the Belgian coach said.
With Kompany out of “the vicinity of the field of play or the team bench” as UEFA rules demand, and also barred from the locker room, Danks took charge of a game for the first time since a two-game interim stint at Aston Villa in 2022.
Danks is Bayern’s set-piece specialist but his team still managed to concede a simple headed goal from a corner when Joao Neves evaded his marker Jamal Musiala to put PSG 2-1 up. Dayot Upamecano’s header at a free kick for Bayern’s third goal was more in line with expectations.
With his one-game suspension for three yellow cards served, Kompany will be back in his technical area for the second leg next Wednesday and wants an even louder atmosphere than for the rousing quarterfinal win over Real Madrid.
“There was such fire against Madrid. We need no less than that, we need even more, and that’s all I can ask for,” he told Prime Video. “I’d go to the stadium for a game like that, but not to be quiet.”
___
Ellingworth reported from Duesseldorf, Germany.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
