As expected, Musiala started the first leg against PSG, yet he failed to make an impact. Instead, the show was stolen by Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Diaz. Despite four goals for Bayern, Musiala failed to register a shot on target, an assist or even a clean chance—his only opening was unluckily wasted. He completed just 26 passes, second-fewest among the starters, and spent 34 minutes fewer on the pitch than Alphonso Davies, who still managed more.
The match passed him by entirely. To some extent, that was due to the nature of the contest. Play ping-ponged mostly along the wings, rarely pausing in the centre; the ball seemed to avoid the central midfield as if nails had been laid there. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic in the double-six also hungered for involvement, just as futilely as Musiala had before them.
"I didn't think he was inconspicuous against Paris," sporting director Max Eberl countered the criticism of Musiala somewhat too kindly, but what else could he say? Malicious tongues might point out: Musiala was conspicuous in the 33rd minute, at least, when he let Joao Neves have his way from a corner, thereby causing the score to go 1-2. "He may not have shone as brightly as the others, but he worked incredibly hard for the team," added Eberl, quite rightly. Musiala contested 15 challenges—second only to Olise—and won ten.