For this, Luis Enrique's team stopped Bayern in the semi-finals. PSG defeated Bayern 5-4 in the first leg of the semi-finals.
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Last year, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were the most exciting team in Europe. This year, it has proven to be a strong team. PSG proved this on their way to the final of the European Champions League. To do this, Luis Enrique's team stopped Bayern in the semi-finals. PSG beat Bayern 5-4 in the first leg of the semi-finals.
It is considered one of the best games in the history of the competition. Then, on Wednesday, PSG drew 1-1 with Bayern in the Allianz Arena. In that, Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring within the first three minutes of the game and it depended on an aggressive counterattack. After that goal, the French champions put the home team under pressure. Harry Kane pulled one back for Bayern late in the game.
But it did not make much difference in the equation of the game and PSG managed to take a decisive 6-5 lead overall. After the game, Enrique said, ‘It’s clear after today’s game what kind of team we are. There was maturity in our game. We didn’t just attack, we were also able to play strong in defense. As a coach, a game like this makes you feel very happy.’
He added, ‘We can’t always win games magically and in extraordinary ways. Today we had to play defensively and we did it well.’ PSG’s defense depended heavily on Ecuadorian William Pacho. He proved his worth by dominating Bayern in six turnovers. At right-back, Wan-Bissaka-Emery was equally accurate.
The 20-year-old could possibly be PSG’s player of the year. This time, he is the player who plays the most minutes for his team. Last season, he was a rare player in the Champions League-winning team, but this time he has proven to be the most important player. His hard work has taken PSG to another level.
Since Qatar invested in PSG in 2011, the club has had one goal: to do well in the biggest European club competition. In the process, the team has been weak many times, and at times PSG's performance has been embarrassing. But last year, the same team won the Champions League for the first time, easily defeating a club as big as Inter Milan in the final.
Will PSG defend the title?
In 2019, Liverpool reached the Champions League final for the second season in a row. PSG now have a similar achievement. If they can beat Arsenal in the final in Budapest on May 30, they will become only the second team to defend the title as defending champions. The only team to achieve such an achievement once was Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid in 2018.
Now Enrique will have the opportunity to join Zidane, Pep Guardiola, Bale Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti as three-time Champions League winners. He was the coach when Barcelona won the Champions League in 2015. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said, “We have a great young team now, and an equally great coach.”
He has not been able to win the Champions League even after signing players like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi. But now Enrique has transformed Dembele into a center forward who has won the Ballon d’Or. And Khavicha Kvartskhelia has proven to be the best player in this competition. The Georgian player also played a role in Dembele’s goal against Munich.
A decision that proved to be the right one
PSG did not try to strengthen the team by adding new players just for this season. It was a decision that could ultimately prove to be a mistake. PSG sold goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City, but did not bring in another player to replace him. But nine players from the starting line-up that won 5-0 against Inter played at the same Munich stadium on Wednesday.
Of the two players who will be absent, goalkeeper Donnarumma and Hakimi, who is out with an injury, are also one of the players. So it seems that PSG has made the right decision to rely on the same team. In particular, PSG have won all seven knockout round matches since Enrique arrived, the first leg of which was played on his home ground. Now, PSG can expect a favorable result as they play in the Champions League final for the third time in the last seven seasons.
PSG will be strong candidates for victory in the title clash against Arsenal. Former Arsenal player Samir Nasri, who is currently working as a football pundit on French television, says, "PSG is a really strong team right now. When the situation is difficult, PSG not only does well in attack, but their defense also seems strong."
