For the first time in the club’s storied 50-year history, Paris Saint-Germain will play in the UEFA Champions League final.
PSG took care of business on Tuesday against Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in the semis to get to the final. Les Parisiens scored two goals in the first-half thanks to some exquisite play from Angel Di Maria. The Argentine assisted defender Marquinhos for a set-piece goal and later doubled the team’s lead via a tap-in score.
Early in the second half, PSG added to the lead and put the tie to rest. In the 56th minute, Di Maria notched yet another assist as he delivered an aerial ball over to Juan Bernat for the header goal. The score put PSG up 3-0 and it was all the club needed to finish the tie.
PSG will now face the winner of the Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais semifinal in the upcoming Champions League final on Aug. 23. The French side recently met with Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage back in 2017 while the club has a long history with league rivals Lyon. PSG finished with a 4-0 record over Lyon in domestic play this past season, which included a Coupe de la Ligue final win.
PSG will look to join Olympique de Marseille as the only French teams to win the prestigious European trophy. Marseille won the Champions League back in 1993. Most notably, the competition has not had a first-time winner since Chelsea back in 2012 when it defeated Bayern Munich.
Manager Thomas Tuchel and his side will have plenty of time to prepare for the final, as multiple training sessions are expected to be scheduled from now until Aug. 23. The fixture will surely be the biggest in the club’s history as it aims to finish the season with a quadruple of trophy wins.
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