Paris Saint-Germain, under head coach Luis Enrique, booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final after a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, sealing a 6-5 aggregate victory.
Having edged a pulsating 5-4 win in the first leg in Paris, Paris Saint-Germain did just enough in Germany to progress, keeping alive their hopes of back-to-back European titles.
The French champions will now face Arsenal in the final scheduled for May 30 in Budapest.
Ousmane Dembélé gave PSG the lead with a sharp first-time finish after a surging run and precise cutback from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The assist saw Kvaratskhelia make history as the first player to register a goal involvement in seven consecutive Champions League knockout matches in a single season.
He also moved level with Kylian Mbappé on 16 goal contributions (10 goals, six assists) in this season’s competition.
The match was not without controversy, as Bayern players protested two potential handball incidents involving Nuno Mendes and João Neves.
However, the referee waved away both appeals, with replays suggesting play had already been halted for a prior infringement by Konrad Laimer.
Despite sustained pressure, Bayern struggled to break down PSG’s defence for most of the second half.
Harry Kane eventually found the net late on, but his goal proved to be only a consolation as the German giants fell just short of a comeback.
Bayern, who had won five of their previous seven home meetings against PSG, were chasing a historic treble reminiscent of their 2013 and 2020 triumphs. However, that ambition was dashed as PSG held firm to progress.
Both sides entered the tie as the competition’s highest scorers, PSG with 43 goals and Bayern with 42, marking the first time two teams have surpassed 40 goals in a single Champions League season, aided by the expanded format.
In the other semifinal, Arsenal secured their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over Atlético Madrid, advancing 2-1 on aggregate against Diego Simeone’s side.
PSG will now aim to become only the second club to successfully defend the Champions League title, a feat previously achieved by Real Madrid, who won three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.
