15 February 2023 , 00:23
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Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies finally got his hands on Lionel Messi ’s shirt – three years after being disappointed with his initial request.
Davies was a half-time substitute as Bayern completed a deserved one-goal victory away to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Messi played the full 90 minutes for Les Parisiens but was far from his usual influential self.
It was the first time the two had been on the same pitch since Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 8-2 in the Champions League quarter final match in the summer of 2020. That was on the way to Bayern lifting the trophy, as they saw off PSG in the final.
Davies later revealed after the last eight victory over Barca, he had asked Messi for his shirt after the game. However, the Argentine superstar had denied his request as he 'was a little bit upset' after the result, with Davies vowing to get it at the next opportunity.
That presented itself at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, with Davies moving towards Messi at the final whistle and getting his shirt as a souvenir for the match. The Canadian could be seen walking off with the momento after the match.
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Davies was a half-time substitute for Joao Cancelo, on loan from Manchester City, and helped turn the dial for Bayern as Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game early in the second half. The German giants, despite a ropey closing 15 minutes, saw out the victory with a clean sheet.
Davies went over to Messi at the end of the match to secure his shirt (DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Have Your Say! Can PSG recover and win the Champions League this season? Tell us what you think here.
Bayern were comfortably the superior side for 70 minutes of the encounter but the introduction of Kylian Mbappe – who was not expected to participate in the game at all due to a recent muscular injury – helped create openings for PSG in the closing section of the match.
Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer was forced into several good saves and Mbappe did find the net after Nuno Mendes ran behind the away side’s defence, but the goal was correctly ruled out by VAR following an offside check.
PSG have never lifted the Champions League in their history, with their 2020 final defeat against Bayern Munich – when their former youth-team graduate Coman once again scored against them – their best performance in the competition to date.