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WORLD FOOTBALL

    Kingsley Coman Praised by Fans After Revenge Goal as Bayern Munich Beat PSG in UCL

    Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 14, 2023

    Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman celebrates scoring his team's first goal during first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FC Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 14, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
    FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

    The one who got away.

    Kingsley Coman, who came up through the Paris Saint-Germain academy and scored against them in the 2020 Champions League final, tortured his former club once again, scoring the lone goal in Bayern Munich's 1-0 win on Tuesday in round-of-16 play.

    CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ @CBSSportsGolazo

    The Parisian Kingsley Coman haunts his former club. <br><br>Gianluigi Donnarumma will not want to see that again. 😅 <a href="https://t.co/OFXG91MufH">pic.twitter.com/OFXG91MufH</a>

    ESPN FC @ESPNFC

    Kingsley Coman scoring against his former club in the UCL final vs. Tuesday 😅 <a href="https://t.co/Es75Qyu0po">pic.twitter.com/Es75Qyu0po</a>

    It nearly wasn't the winner, as Kylian Mbappé appeared to score a late equalizer. But Bayern Munich was let off the hook after VAR determined PSG had just barely ventured offside in the build-up.

    ESPN FC @ESPNFC

    Kylian Mbappé's equalizer against Bayern Munich was ruled out by the tiniest of margins 😳 <a href="https://t.co/NV9s1EMvl9">pic.twitter.com/NV9s1EMvl9</a>

    It was one of two disallowed goals for Mbappé in the match. Not too shabby for starting the game on the bench because of a thigh injury. He wasn't even expected to play as of last week, but made the squad on the bench and made an instant impact upon being substituted.

    Not enough of one to earn a win or draw, however. So Coman was the hero and the talk of footy Twitter after the match:

    Guillermo Rai @GuillerRai

    I don't know if it's an exaggeration, but Coman is one of the most underrated players I can think of.

    Stefan Bienkowski @SBienkowski

    Putting a shift in on the left wing in the first half and then scoring a goal on the right wing really sums up what Kingsley Coman is to Bayern. One of the best utility players in the world.

    Kingsley Coman Praised by Fans After Revenge Goal as Bayern Munich Beat PSG in UCL
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    Mark Goldbridge @markgoldbridge

    What a finish by Coman!

    Eduardo Hagn @EduardoHagn

    Great from Coman, poor from Donnarumma.

    Complaxes @Complaxes

    Kingsley Coman is a top 3 winger in world football in his current form. <a href="https://t.co/JFQ77ZaNIN">pic.twitter.com/JFQ77ZaNIN</a>

    OptaFranz @OptaFranz

    3 - Kingsley <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coman</a> has scored in three consecutive games for <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBayernEN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBayernEN</a> for only the second time, previously doing so in November 2020. Run. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSGFCB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSGFCB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCL</a> <a href="https://t.co/3t3kLmqTlK">pic.twitter.com/3t3kLmqTlK</a>

    Of course, there were various takes on Coman choosing to not celebrate against his former club:

    Chiddy 🇳🇬 @chiddyafc

    Coman not celebrating vs PSG when he's already denied them a CL 😭😭😭

    John Brewin @JohnBrewin_

    Kingsley Coman's non-celebration celebration came against a club he played three first-team matches for and left after signing a pre-contract agreement for Juventus. Not exactly Denis Law, is it?

    Maximiliano Bretos @MaxBretosSports

    Many of you do not like the no celebration rule against former teams. Have to remember this not about player or club, its about the supporters. Same ones who cheered for Kingsley Coman who grew up at PSG. I think it's a wonderful gesture. <a href="https://t.co/i4m5IOeFeb">pic.twitter.com/i4m5IOeFeb</a>

    Whatever your take on the non-celebration, Coman is developing a habit of scoring against his former club.

    While Bayern Munich remain in excellent form, with only one loss in the Bundesliga this season—albeit seven draws, which has kept them only one point clear of Borussia Dortmund atop the table—PSG has now dropped three straight games in all competitions.

    The health of players like Mbappé and Lionel Messi hasn't helped, with both recently missing time. It's a tough time of year for PSG to be hitting a skid, especially with a brutal away leg at Allianz Arena awaiting them on March 8.

    The Parisian side will have plenty of time to get healthy before then. But their former prospect, Coman, once again put them in a hole they may struggle to escape.