Paris Saint-Germain Ends Arsenal’s Dream and Reaches the Grand Final
Paris Saint-Germain ended Arsenal’s Champions League dream with a 2-1 victory in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, securing a place in the final for only the second time in the club’s history, where they will face Italian side Inter Milan.
The Parisian side booked their place in the final with goals from Spanish player Fabián Ruiz (27’) and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (72’), while Portuguese midfielder Vitinha missed a penalty in the 69th minute. Arsenal’s only goal came from Bukayo Saka (76’), but it wasn’t enough to overturn the first-leg deficit, as the Ligue 1 champions had already claimed a 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium in London.
This will mark PSG’s second appearance in a Champions League final after losing their first in 2020 to Bayern Munich. The final will be held at the Allianz Arena on May 31, where they will face Inter Milan, who eliminated Barcelona on Tuesday.
Enrique Wins His Bet
Despite the departure of star forward Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, head coach Luis Enrique — a Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2015 — proved that his squad has what it takes to conquer Europe. Speaking after the win, he said: “There’s still one step left — the final. The club deserves this, and the fans have deserved it for a long time.”
He continued: “It was a wonderful evening and a way to thank the fans for their daily support, regardless of the results. That’s the beauty of it — making people happy. I don’t think the match disappointed in terms of intensity and excitement. Arsenal came here to win. In the first half, they went all in, and we were forced to play a game we didn’t want to play (meaning, to defend), but we scored and also hit the post in the first half.”
In response to a question about comments made by Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta — who said Arsenal deserved to go through — Enrique replied: “I completely disagree, even though Mikel Arteta is a dear friend. Over the two legs, we scored more goals. But Arsenal is a fantastic team. We suffered a lot and faced more difficulties against them than against any other side in the Champions League this season.”
A Great Team
PSG captain Marquinhos echoed the ambition, saying: “We want more — the job isn’t done yet.”
Speaking to television after the match, he added: “It’s a wonderful feeling. We delivered a great performance and earned this qualification. We should enjoy it to the fullest. We’ve done the job by reaching the final, but it’s not over yet.”
As for Hakimi, he praised his manager Enrique: “Luis Enrique has built a great team.”
He added: “The coach has done an amazing job since arriving at Paris Saint-Germain. He built a strong team. Many people didn’t believe in us, but we made it. We worked hard. We are a team, a family. We deserve this moment — along with all our supporters and with all Parisians.”
