Opinion

Paris Saint-Germain’s Greatest UEFA Champions League Nights

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Paris Saint-Germain was considered a laughingstock in the UEFA Champions League for years. No matter how much money the record French champions threw at their squad of superstars, it was never enough to get over the line. Even with a front line of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, they couldn’t make it past the second round despite being heavy favorites back in 2021.

Back then, even the bookies were wondering if they could do it — and the answer was that they couldn’t.

Admittedly, the Parisians did reach a final, but that ended in heartbreak too, losing to Bayern Munich by a solitary goal to nil in an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. And to make matters worse, the winner was scored by one of their own — former PSG academy product Kingsley Coman.

However, this season under manager Luis Enrique, things feel different.

PSG’s hopes in 2025

This season, the recently minted Ligue 1 champions feel like a force to be reckoned with. Gone are the days of overpaid prima donnas, and in their place is a hungry side full of young talent determined to come of age.

In attack, Ousmane Dembele finally looks to have matured into the player that prompted Barcelona to fork out €145 million seven years ago, and the Frenchman is in the form of his life back in his homeland. He is supported by January addition Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and young prodigy Bradley Barcola, forming a menacing attacking trident that will strike fear into any opposition defense it comes up against.

At the back, Gianluigi Donnarumma has his critics, but his exploits in the penalty shootout victory in the Round of 16 against Liverpool at Anfield will never be forgotten. In front of him, captain Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, and Achraf Hakimi make up one of the best ball-playing defensive tandems on the planet, while midfielders Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and Joao Neves can take the game to anyone on their day.

As a result, online soccer odds providers are no longer laughing at PSG. Instead, they think that 2025 could finally be their year. The latest soccer odds currently price the Parisians as a +275 joint favorite to lift the trophy for the first time this term, level with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona. If they manage to live up to the billing, it will be the greatest night in the club’s history — bar none. But what are PSG’s current highlights in the Champions League?

Downing Barcelona

Everyone kind of knew that last season would be Kylian Mbappe’s last in Paris, and what finer way to leave the club than by helping them lift the UEFA Champions League for the first time? Well, for one night in Barcelona, it looked as though that would actually happen.

After squeezing through the group of death alongside Borussia Dortmund and ahead of both AC Milan and Newcastle United, the Parisians breezed past Real Sociedad in the second round to set up a mouthwatering clash with Barcelona. But it seemed the Catalonians would have too much for PSG to handle throughout the first three-quarters of the two-legged tie. The Blaugrana won 3-2 in the Parc des Princes before winger Raphinha gave his side a two-goal aggregate lead barely 12 minutes into the reverse fixture in Catalonia.

With the tie looking dead and buried, Mbappe and company were suddenly handed a lifeline when Barca defender Ronald Araujo was given a straight red card on the half-hour mark. And boy, would PSG take the opportunity. The French champions came roaring back to life, and goals from Dembele, Vitinha, and an Mbappe brace secured a stunning 4-1 victory on the night, with PSG progressing 6-4 on aggregate.

Unfortunately, though, the tale wouldn’t have a happy ending. Despite being huge favorites, the Parisians couldn’t find a way past underdogs Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals, losing 1-0 both home and away and bowing out before the final once again.

The year of redemption

Two of PSG’s nightmares in the Champions League sting more than the rest. The first was the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Barcelona, where they capitulated late on and bowed out of the tournament despite holding a 4-0 first-leg lead. The second was the 1-0 final defeat in 2020 to Bayern Munich. In 2021, PSG would earn redemption on both accounts.

First up came the Blaugrana, and once again, PSG dominated the first leg. Despite falling behind early to a Lionel Messi penalty, the Parisians rallied, and a blistering hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe, along with a late Moise Kean strike, sealed a thumping 4-1 win. And this time around, there was to be no collapse nor comeback. In the second leg, PSG managed to claim a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou, progressing to the quarterfinals and vanquishing the ghosts of four years prior.

Then, as luck would have it, the next team on Paris’ hit list was Bayern Munich — the team that handed them perhaps their most gut-wrenching defeat of all in the final a year earlier. Fueled by that heartache, they weren’t to be denied.

Two stunning goals from Mbappe secured a shock 3-2 win away from home in the first leg in Munich. In the return fixture, Bayern managed to nick a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from PSG man Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. With the aggregate score tied at 3-3, it was the French outfit that progressed thanks to the away goals rule, securing their revenge for that night in Lisbon barely a year prior.

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