Bayern Munich fans pelted Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele with a lighter and plastic cups during their Champions League semi-final at the Allianz Arena.
When reigning Ballon d’Or winner Dembele – who had scored earlier in the match – went to take a 34th-minute corner down by the Bayern fans, he was bombarded by a slew of plastic cups and an object that turned out to be a red cigarette lighter from the crowd that forced him to walk away.
The lighter didn’t appear to hit the 28-year-old forward but he picked it up off the floor and handed it to referee João Pinheiro, who jogged over to the fourth official and handed him the object.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer ran over to the Bayern fans urging them to calm down and imploring them not to throw objects, also pointing to his wrist, suggesting he didn’t want time to be wasted as the German side looked for a way back into the tie.
PSG were leading 1-0 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate at the time of the incident thanks to Dembele extending their lead in the tie after just three minutes in Munich. He lashed home Khivcha Kvaratskhelia’s cutback after the Georgian winger had been sent away down the left by an exquisite Fabian Ruiz pass.
Bayern pushed hard for an equaliser in the first half that would have put them just one goal behind on aggregate but weren’t able to convert any of their chances before half-time.
The first leg had been one of the great Champions League games – and the highest-scoring semi-final match in the competition’s history – as the teams threw everything they had at each other in Paris, with Dembele scoring twice in PSG’s enthralling 5-4 triumph.
The winner of the semi-final will face Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest later this month, after Mikel Arteta’s Gunners edged past Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the other last-four clash.
