Paris Saint-Germain is in the Champions League final for the second year in a row. Luis Enrique’s Parisians drew 1-1 against Bayern Munich this Wednesday at the Allianz Arena, a result sufficient to advance 6-5 on aggregate and qualify for the grand final on May 30 at the Puskás Arena in Budapest.
ANDPSG will thus defend the European title won last season against a rival that promises to be equally demanding: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, which eliminated Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday with a 2-1 aggregate score.
The second leg began with the same frenetic pace that characterized the first leg. Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring just in the 3rd minute for the Parisians, further complicating the mission of a Bayern that already needed to overcome two goals from the first leg. The Bavarians looked for a goal throughout the match but did not find a way until minute 90+4 when Harry Kane scored the final equalizer, a late goal and insufficient to prevent PSG from qualifying for the final in Budapest.
The previous week at the Parc des Princes, both teams had played one of the most spectacular matches in the recent history of the competition, with PSG winning 5-4 in a nine-goal duel that had everything. Bayern had come back from 5-2 to 5-4 but could not complete the feat neither in the first leg nor in the second leg, being eliminated from a Champions League where they arrived with great title aspirations after winning the Bundesliga.
A dream final in Budapest
On May 30, the Puskás Arena in Budapest will be the scene of a historic final between PSG and Arsenal, two teams with Spanish coaches, Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta respectively, who will seek to lift the Orejona in what promises to be one of the most attractive duels in recent years in European football.
PSG arrives as the favorite as they are the current champions and have demonstrated their scoring ability and collective strength throughout the competition. Arsenal, on the other hand, reaches their second European final in the club’s history with the hope of winning the Champions League for the first time.
Arteta’s Gunners have been the strongest team in the competition in this edition with the only undefeated team in the group stage, and they arrive in Budapest with the confidence of having eliminated a rival as difficult as Atlético de Madrid. A final that the world of football already has marked on the calendar and that guarantees a high-level duel between two of the fittest teams on the European continent.