So the countdown to the demise of the expensively assembled Paris Saint-Germain project gets going straight away.  

Despite boasting two of the most sought-after superstars in the world at their disposal, the French powerhouse sealed another pitiful Champions League exit as second-half goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry saw them meekly fall to a two-goal defeat to Germain giants Bayern Munich.  

The spectacular failure is likely to instigate complete pandemonium at Parc des Princes, with both Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos are out of contract at the end of the campaign, while Kylian Mbappe seems destined to move to the Spanish La Liga or English Premier League in the not-too-distant future. With Neymar's future still uncertain after he sustained a season-ending ankle injury, it is only a matter of time now before everything unravels in Paris.

It wasn't supposed to end like this.  

PSG reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in four successive seasons between 2013 and 2016. It appeared that it won't be long before the deep-pocketed side claim the coveted European title for the first time.  

But the cold reality is PSG have actually regressed. For all the money the club have splurged on their star-studded squad, they have now been eliminated from the competition at the round of 16 in five of their previous seven seasons. 

Despite repeatedly breaking transfer fee records and lavishing more on wages than any other football club in the world, PSG are now set for another disappointing season, having already been eliminated from the French Cup by Marseille and underwhelming performances in the domestic league.

"It's a huge disappointment. We have to deal with it and accept it," observed PSG coach Christophe Galtier, who was only appointed in the hot seat last summer but is coming under increasing pressure to resign.  

"There's a lot of gloom in the dressing room. I don't know if it's a lesson to be learned, but there's a lot of frustration. If we'd scored first it would have been different, but we didn't." 

The utter resignation was echoed by PSG defender Danilo Pereira, who told reporters, "Unfortunately, Bayern were too strong. We had chances in the first half, we didn't take them, and in the Champions League, that makes things difficult. It's tough to go out like this, but that's the Champions League."

While PSG have gone two Champions League matches without a goal for the first time since 2015/16, Bayern have cruised into a record-extending 21st quarterfinal of the tournament. Such was the six-time European champions' dominance that they have kept a flawless record this season: eight games, eight wins. 

The only agitation for Bayern came in the first half when their goalkeeper Yann Sommer was uncharacteristically caught in possession and presented PSG with an open goal but a brilliant goal-line clearance by Matthijs de Ligt saved the day. 

"In a football game you need to have luck on your side, If that became a 1-0, you don't know how the team would react," said Bayern captain Thomas Mueller. 

"It's incredible how much desire he has to defend," added Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann, referring to De Ligt. "Nine out of 10 defenders in the world would have given up... In the second half we were much better than our opponents and deserved to win."

In sharp contrast, there is an air of despondency about PSG now. Their latest setback proved once again that individual quality is inferior to collective strength. By no stretch of the imagination could isolated big names outclass disciplined and efficient opponents.