“Luis Enrique est magique!”: PSG thrash Arsenal to march on to the Champions League final in Munich
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Paris Saint-Germain have done the ‘impossible task’ by securing a place in the UEFA Champions League final for the second time in their history, despite losing Kylian Mbappé in the summer.
PSG will march on to Munich after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg at the Parc des Princes, with majestic goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi securing the tie 3-1 on aggregate to steer Luis Enrique’s men into the final.
Arsenal put up a better show than they did at the Emirates but fell short due to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics, who made 3 staggering saves to keep his side safe.
Bukayo Saka’s late goal could come only as a consolation for the Gunners as they are on course to end their season without a trophy for the fifth straight season.
PSG will face Inter Milan in the final in Munich, where a win would not only earn them their first-ever Champions League title but also a historic treble, which would make Luis Enrique only the second manager alongside Pep Guardiola to win more than one treble and also a treble with different clubs.
No Mbappé, no problem for Luis Enrique’s PSG: The beginning of a new era in Paris
Paris Saint-Germain have looked like a completely different team since Kylian Mbappé left the club in the summer and signed up for the new era of Galacticos at Real Madrid this season.
PSG have played more like a team without the French superstar, and the results do not lie either. The signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January along with the rise of young ballers like Desire Doue has completely changed the dynamics of the Parisian frontline.
In addition, Ousmane Dembélé has been phenomenal this season after being deployed in a new, dynamic 9 role, with the 27-year-old bagging 33 goals and 10 assists in just 45 appearances, making him a strong frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or this year.
As stated by Luis Enrique as well, who previously spoke about how the team has improved in both attack and defence since Kylian Mbappé left the club.
Speaking at a press conference earlier this season, when asked about the club's position without Mbappé, Luis Enrique responded by saying, “I was very brave last season when I told you that we would have a better team in attack and defence. I still think that we are better (in both); the numbers are there to say it.” (sic)
He further added that, “The players took it as a challenge. Of course we would have liked to keep Kylian, because everyone loved him, but the team is responding at a spectacular level. (sic)
The ‘Italian Wall’ of Paris: Gianluigi Donnarumma the point of difference yet again for PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma had fallen off the radar recently due to his topsy-turvy performances at the club level. However, the Italian has been a “different gravy” this season, propelling his club to the Champions League final.
In the semi-final tie, the total xG (expected goals) between both legs was Arsenal (5.11) – PSG (3.08); however, despite having a superior xG, the Gunners managed to score just one goal past the Italian wall across the two legs, who turned out to be the key for PSG in this tie and the point of difference between the two sides.
Even in the much-anticipated RO16 tie against Liverpool, Donnarumma produced a stellar performance for PSG at Anfield and became the hero for the French giants in the penalty shootout to send them through to the next stage.
Donnarumma has saved 34 times out of the 43 shots he's faced this season in the Champions League, and has proved that in order to win cup competitions, having an elite goalkeeper is a mandatory task for every club.
