Did PSG neutralise Olise with a brilliant tactical move?

FC Bayern München v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final Second Leg

In the Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG, Michael Olise was largely absent from the action. Did Luis Enrique conjure up a special tactical ploy to contain the FCB winger?

After taking the lead in the 3rd minute through a goal from Ousmane Dembélé, the French side, holding a comfortable two-goal aggregate advantage, concentrated on defence and, when they did venture forward, did so exclusively through swift counter-attacks.

Enrique's side contained Olise with remarkable efficiency, despite his impressive form this season. Although his marker, Nuno Mendes, received an early yellow card for a foul—and should have been dismissed later for handball—Olise rarely threatened to beat the Portuguese full-back over the full 90 minutes.

PSG also crowded Bayern's right flank—Olise's operating zone—to starve him of space for his pacey dribbles and one-on-ones.

PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov repeatedly cleared the ball out of play on the left, conceding possession to Bayern but ensuring that almost every player crowded the hosts' right flank.

FC Bayern München v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final Second Leg

Safonov's pass completion rate lags well behind Neuer's.

Consequently, whenever Olise received the ball, PSG were quick to double-team the 24-year-old. The FCB winger rarely got the chance to use his pace to reach the byline or cut inside and fire with his dangerous left foot.

At full-time, Safonov's pass completion stood at just 21%—only seven of 33 attempts found a teammate—while counterpart Manuel Neuer recorded a 70% success rate.

Olise's own numbers tell the story: he created only two chances, and his shot count (2), touches in the box (8) and final-third passes (5) all undershot his recent standards.