FEATURE | Three things we learned as PSG qualify for Champions League final against Arsenal | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain have qualified for this season’s Champions League final after edging out Bayern Munich in the semi-finals’ return leg at Allianz Arena (1-1, 6-5 on aggregate). Luis Enrique’s Les Parisiens will face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the final on Saturday, May 30 at Budapest.

PSG add the steel to their silk

Ousmane Dembélé’s third-minute opener might have hinted at a remake of last week’s unforgettable nine-goal thriller between PSG and Bayern Munich. But it appears the sequel is more often than not duller than the original. If last week was all about high-octane high-efficiency football, tonight was a way more cagey affair.

Evidently, the fact Les Parisiens doubled their aggregate lead tie this early in the return leg sucked out the atmosphere with Bayern now facing an uphill battle against a PSG team that got what they were after. The Bundesliga champions needed their star players to perform, but their end product was found lacking with Michael Olise and Luis Diaz as mere shadows of their former selves.

Although Harry Kane restored parity on the night deep in injury time, PSG’s game management deserves huge credit, as do some of their unsung defensive heroes, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho and Matvey Safonov.

Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia lead the charge

Last year, Ousmane Dembélé only needed four minutes to score at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in PSG’s Champions League semi-finals’ away leg with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia providing the assist. A year later, the pair combined with devastating effect to silence the Allianz Arena three minutes in. The Georgian set up the decisive move with a sleek one-two with Fabian Ruiz.

The former Napoli man wreaked havoc on the left side before laying in on a plate for the Ballon d’Or winner to double PSG’s aggregate lead in the tie. Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were involved in all five PSG goals in the first leg, proving they are Luis Enrique’s go-to guys when the road becomes steeper. They’ll need to be against the best defense of the competition on May 30.

PSG make Champions League history

PSG will therefore set up a reunion with Arsenal for Europe’s premier club prize after last season’s semi-finals. Although Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta share a Spanish culture, their interpretations of the game they love have been very dissimilar this season. The PSG head coach has made his team a joy to watch whereas his Arsenal counter-part has made Arsenal one of the worst teams to play against.

The Budapest Battle will be a fascinating one and will, whatever happens, go down in history. Les Parisiens have already entered Europe’s folklore already in becoming one of the very few teams to reach back-to-back Champions League finals this century. The Ligue 1 champions will also play their third Champions League final in seven seasons. Zinédine Zidane’s Real Madrid is the only team to have retained their Champions League title this century. Further history awaits in Hungary.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval