Diaz does it all: A brace and a red, but PSG fail to rise from dead

There's a popular quote from the movie Dark Knight that says You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Well, Luis Diaz experienced this fate in the span of just 45 minutes.

After completing a first-half brace against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes, he had every right to see himself as Bayern Munich's hero. And then he threw everything away, by horrendously fouling Achraf Hakimi and being sent off in added time, leaving his teammates to defend a 2-0 lead for the entire second half.

Luckily for him, the rest of Vincent Kompany's crew stepped up and managed to record a vital road win, as PSG only managed to reduce the gap over Joao Neves in the 74th minute - 2-1.

As expected, when Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern face each other, both rivals were quite open and started throwing punches from the first referee's whistle. People often say that football is a game of mistakes, and we got the proof in the first half of the clash at Parc des Princes.

The first one came just four minutes into the match when the home crew lost the ball near the halfway line. A quick counter followed, Serge Gnabry's pass tore PSG's defence apart, Lucas Chevalier stopped Michael Olise's strike, but Luis Diaz was there to net the rebound and put the visitors in front.

Following the opener, Luis Enrique's men started playing more courageously, but it didn't yield any tangible results. In the 23rd minute, Ousmane Dembele's goal was disallowed for offside - and then instantly left the pitch for an injury, being replaced by Lee Kang-in - while Manuel Neuer stopped Bradley Barcola one-on-one at the half-hour mark.

Only a minute later, Serge Gnabry hit the post, hinting at Bayern's second goal, which came after just two minutes! Marquinhos made a massive mistake near his box, Diaz stole the ball, and easily doubled his team's lead, completing a brace.

The Bavarians could have made it 3-0 by the break, but Joshua Kimmich and Harry Kane wasted two decent chances. And then, a ray of hope for the Parisians came out of nowhere in added time.

Diaz went from hero to villain in a short period, as he horrendously tackled Achraf Hakimi - who was forced to get off the pitch in tears - and was deservedly sent off, leaving his teammates to defend the lead with a man down for over 45 minutes.

PSG, of course, gained control of the match once the second half started, while Vincent Kompany tried to mitigate the damage caused by Diaz's dismissal by subbing on the midfielder Tom Bischof for the forward Gnabry. Despite the Saints' edge, Bayern's Olise was the first to threaten after a solo effort at the hour mark.

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The Bavarians' fortress seemed solid as a rock until the 74th minute when the sub Joao Neves brought uncertainty back into the match, reducing the gap following Lee's excellent cross. The Parisians had enough time to level and even chase the eventual winner, while Bayern were on the ropes, despite being in the lead.

Every single visitors' player - including the forwards Olise and Kane - was in front of his own box, trying to help the defence and protect Neuer's goal, while the Parisians were weaving the web around the Munich side's penalty area. In the last 15 minutes, PSG's pressure became immense. Neves was close to completing a brace, but in the end the Germans' defence held out and brought the vital road victory.

This way, the Bavarians joined Arsenal at the top of the UCL table with maximum of 12 points, while the Ligue 1 side suffered its first defeat in the campaign.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 4

Tuesday

Napoli - Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0

Slavia Prague - Arsenal 0-3 (0-1)

/Saka 32 pen, Merino 46, 68/

Atletico Madrid - St. Gilloise 3-1 (1-0)

/Alvarez 39, Gallagher 72, Llorente 90+6 - Sykes 80/

Bodo/Glimt - Monaco 0-1 (0-1)

/Balogun 43/

Juventus - Sporting Lisbon 1-1 (1-1)

/Vlahovic 34 - Araujo 12/

Liverpool - Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)

/Mac Allister 61/

Olympiacos - PSV 1-1 (1-0)

/Martins 17 - Pepi 90+3/

PSG - Bayern Munich 1-2 (0-2)

/Neves 74 - Diaz 4, 32/

Tottenham - Copenhagen 4-0 (1-0)

/Johnson 19, Odobert 51, Van de Ven 64, Palhinha 67/

Wednesday

20.45: (7.00) Paphos (4.40) Villareal (1.47)

20.45: (8.00) Qarabag (5.30) Chelsea (1.35)

23.00: (3.20) Ajax (4.00) Galatasaray (2.15)

23.00: (2.05) Benfica (3.70) Leverkusen (3.70)

23.00: (5.50) Club Brugge (5.15) Barcelona (1.53)

23.00: (1.05) Inter (14.0) Kairat Almaty (45.0)

23.00: (1.45) Man.City (5.25) Dortmund (6.75)

23.00: (1.50) Newcastle (4.20) Ath.Bilbao (6.75)

23.00: (2.10) Olympique Marseille (3.75) Atalanta (3.50)

***odds are subject to change***