One year later, PSG will experience a second consecutive Champions League final, having achieved the feat of eliminating Bayern Munich on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena (1-1 after a 5-4 win in the first leg) thanks to their collective strength and at the end of an exhausting battle.
A year later, PSG will experience a second consecutive Champions League final, having achieved the feat of eliminating Bayern Munich on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena (1-1 after the 5-4 first-leg) thanks to their collective strength and after an exhausting battle.
A year after winning the Champions League in the same stadium, Luis Enrique and his players will therefore defend their supreme title. A great achievement for the Spanish coach, who arrived three years ago at the helm of PSG.
After the madness at Parc des Princes (5-4) last Tuesday, the intensity was very much present in an equally boiling Allianz Arena, as Warren Zaïre-Emery had predicted the day before. With fewer goals but an equally intense battle.”It’s magnificent. Two finals… We want to go for the second star. We don’t have players, we have warriors,” reacted the club president, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, on Canal+. “We know how to suffer. We are ready for what is coming,” insisted Joao Neves, after the scenes of jubilation on the field. On the way to Budapest, the stage of all dreams on May 30 against Arsenal, Paris was unusually efficient and again solid defensively. PSG was even more lively than eight days ago, striking very hard as early as the 3rd minute, thanks once again to its star players. Aided by the huge space left by Bayern’s defensive line, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia burst down the left side and found Ousmane Dembélé, alone in the penalty area, who followed up with a powerful shot (1-0, 3rd minute). Manuel Neuer, at 40 years old and 1.93 meters tall, could do nothing against the Ballon d’Or winner and his seven European goals.And then, like in Liverpool three weeks ago, the Parisians showed strength at the back and held up despite the immense pressure from Bayern and its 70,000 spectators.
They left much less space, showed experience by gaining long and valuable seconds, and once again relied on a great Matvei Safonov.
The absence of Achraf Hakimi, injured in the thigh and yet so important in offensive movements, was not felt at all. Warren Zaïre-Emery, positioned at right back, managed Luis Diaz well, and Nuno Mendes, his counterpart on the left side, was much better than in the first leg.
Despite receiving a yellow card very early, the Portuguese player contributed a lot and was solid against Olise. Midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who had not played a full match since his knee injury, was just as important in controlling the field.Thanks to all of this and also thanks to an uncalled penalty (31st minute) for a hand by Joao Neves (because the ball was cleared by Vitinha and not towards the goal), Paris managed its weak moments against the current best European team. – Paris tightened its ranks – The Parisians broke down at the very end of the match with a goal from Harry Kane (90+4) but nothing could stop them. Michael Olise (27th minute) and Luis Diaz were just as fast and dangerous, but PSG was better organized and solid, and defended better than at the Parc des Princes, as shown by their captain Marquinhos, furious from the warm-up. In fact, it was his partner in central defense, Wilian Pacho, who was named man of the match. PSG’s Russian goalkeeper also repeated his performance from Anfield and was impressive again: he made a good dive on a cross from Jamal Musiala (42nd minute) and then went down at high speed to save a shot from the German (44th minute), as well as on a close-range shot from Luis Diaz (69th minute).and Michael Olise (70th).
On the other side, Manuel Neuer also saved his team, stopping a header from Joao Neves (33rd) and a shot from Désiré Doué (64th), but the German giant fell at the gates of the final.
Now, fear has changed sides in European nights. Paris now knows how to win these big matches and can therefore dream of reaching for the stars again on May 30th.
