Holders Paris St Germain drew 1-1 at Bayern Munich on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final, earning a 6-5 aggregate victory after a compelling second leg that was far cagier than their goal-laden first encounter.
Ousmane Dembele’s goal after three minutes set PSG on their way, while Bayern could not get the better of the French side’s organised defence until Harry Kane’s leveller deep in second-half stoppage time.
The French side will face Arsenal in the May 30 showcase game in Budapest after the London club’s 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday secured a 2-1 aggregate win.
Bayern, hoping to reach their first Champions League final since 2020, saw their treble hopes dashed andcan now only add the German Cup to their Bundesliga crown this season.
“The character we showed against a team like Bayern is so positive,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique, who has guided the team to back-to-back Champions League finals.
“We’re so happy to reach a second Champions League final in a row. It was very intense. Very difficult. They play football at the highest level. Both teams are similar, we love to press higher. We are very happy,” he said.
Holding a 5-4 advantage from a scintillating first leg, PSG got off to a perfect start when Dembele, who scored twice last week, rifled home from a perfectly timed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cutback. Dembele and Kvaratskhelia had both scored twice in the first leg.
Bayern upped the pressure almost instantly and went close but both Michael Olise and Luis Diaz narrowly missed the target with shots from the edge of the box.
The Germans had boxed their opponents in their own half but keeper Manuel Neuer still had to come to their rescue in the 33rd minute, palming Joao Neves’ header wide to keep Bayern in the game.
His PSG counterpart Matvei Safonov responded with a superb save of his own, stopping Jamal Musiala’s low drive from close range a minute before the break.
It was initially one-way traffic after the interval with PSG again sitting back, but threatening on the counter-attack.
With the hosts, who needed two goals, growing more desperate, PSG found more space in the second half and went close through Desire Doue and Kvaratskhelia late in the game.
Bayern’s top scorer Kane, who had hardly had a look-in, found just enough space to drill in a stoppage-time equaliser, scoring for a seventh consecutive game in the competition.
But his 55th goal across all competitions this season for Bayern came too late as the hosts ran out of time.
“Somehow it felt like we were missing the final punch, that really clear 100 percent chance,” said Bayern defender Konrad Laimer. “In the end, that one goal came a little too late. I think if it comes a bit earlier, then the whole stadium comes alive again.”
(Reuters)
