PSG Struggle in Champions League Semifinals
Looking at Paris' history, it's clear there is a blockage at this stage of the competition.
The Paris Saint-Germain team was pushing for an equalizer in the final minutes, hoping to maintain a glimmer of hope. After a central combination, Kylian Mbappé thought he was about to score, but he lost his balance and fell in front of Gregor Kobel, who easily gathered the ball that the Frenchman had let go of.
This moment symbolized Paris' failure. In a Parc des Princes fully behind the team and ready for its big night, the French champions fell, unable to elevate their game and control a match they were convinced they would win against an opponent considered beatable.
After a dull evening lacking spark, PSG said goodbye to the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund (0-1) and confirmed their struggles in the tournament's semifinals.
A recurrent problem
Beyond the errors made, the failure of several key players, and some bad luck, PSG will need to reflect on their approach to the latter stages of the tournament. Capable of raising their game in the previous round, they faltered against the Germans, overwhelmed by intensity and commitment.
Looking at Paris' history, it's clear there is a blockage at this stage of the competition. In fact, in 7 semifinal matches in the Champions League, six ended in defeat, with the only exception being the unique circumstances of the Lisbon bubble during the Covid-19 pandemic with a single-leg match.
Regardless of the circumstances, PSG cannot hope to ultimately lift the Champions League if they cannot master the home-and-away semifinal format, if they cannot overcome their fears. This is a problem Luis Enrique will need to address after starting a new cycle in the French capital since his arrival last summer.
It’s not a fatal situation, considering this team didn’t seem designed at the beginning of the season to win the European crown, and given the team’s average age of just over 24 years old in the match, it was the youngest semifinal team in the Champions League since Arsenal in 2009. Time will tell, but this elimination might have been just a period of adjustment and could serve as a springboard for the next generation.
