Paris (EFE).- Luis Enrique will be able to celebrate his 55th birthday in style this Thursday, a day after his Paris Saint-Germain achieved their second qualification for the final of the Champions League in their history, after defeating Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg, who fought until the end to turn the tie around but found themselves up against a more accurate rival and a heroic Donnarumma.
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The Italian meta, already decisive in the first leg, in the round of 16 against Liverpool and in the quarter-finals against Aston Villa, made three masterful saves that earned the French team a ticket to Munich, who will try to confirm their status as favorites against Inter Milan.
A feat for a Luis Enrique who in two seasons at the helm of the club has reached the semi-finals and final and who leads a young and promising project with a lot of potential ahead.
You only had to see the satisfied face of the club president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, sitting in the box next to the UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, to realize that things are going well at the Parc des Princes.
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Una victoria trabajada
The Spanish coach, who last year blew out the candles of his anniversary saddened by PSG’s elimination in the semi-finals by Borussia Dortmund, has managed to improve the squad without big stars after the departure of Kylian Mbappé, but with a huge budget at his service, the largest of the four semi-finalists.
Facing Arsenal, they defended the 0-1 from the first leg and secured a hard-fought victory, achieved with the sacrifice that ‘Lucho’ likes to preach, who will also experience his second final of the top continental competition after the one he won in 2015 with Barcelona.
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The ‘Gunners’ threatened to deal PSG a new blow in Europe, they came out ready to scare the Parc des Princes and thus wipe out the 0-1 disadvantage from the first leg.
But Gianluigi Donnarumma was again providential in the first minutes, aborting the attempts of Rice (m.4) and Odegaard (8), oxygen for the home side, not used to letting their rivals take the helm of the game.
El plan de Arteta
Arteta’s plan managed to wrest control of the midfield from PSG, place the game in their danger zone, and create doubt. In exchange, it left spaces in their midfield, a free zone for the Parisian trident that, orphaned by Ousmane Dembélé, their top scorer, relied on the speed of Barcola, Doué, and Kvaratskhelia.
The Georgian gave the first warning in the 17th minute with a ball that hit the post, and Doué and Barcola wasted a good counterattack six minutes later.
But with less dominance than they are used to, they also showed that they are capable of drawing blood, while Arsenal lost steam and relied entirely on set pieces, with no better luck.
Fabián Ruiz scores the first goal
On the contrary, it was the home team that opened the scoring from a free kick by Vitinha, after a poor clearance by Thomas Partey that left the ball on the edge of the area, where Fabián Ruiz controlled it with his chest and beat David Raya with a powerful shot.
His first goal in 46 Champions League matches, the reward for a great season by the Spaniard, who has become a cornerstone of Luis Enrique’s system, adored by the fans and praised by the press.
Ecstasy seized the Parc des Princes, which already saw its team one step away from achieving the title that its fans and the Qatari owners who have poured millions into the club since their arrival in 2011 dream of.
Barcola missed another counterattack in the 30th minute and Arsenal seemed to lose some faith in the comeback.
Arteta breathed encouragement at halftime and laboriously brought PSG back to their rearguard, again saved by Donnarumma, who in the 64th minute saved a shot from Saka that was heading for the top corner.
Segundo tanto de Hakimi
VAR saw a penalty for a handball by Lewis-Skelly that nobody had noticed and Vitinha’s shot in the 69th minute, tame and not very risky, was stopped by Raya, but barely three minutes later a defensive error by Partey allowed Hakimi to score his team’s second goal with another shot that surprised the Spanish goalkeeper.
Saka scores for Arsenal
Arsenal needed three goals and Saka scored the first in the 76th minute, after Trossard stole the ball from Marquinhos and a good counterattack. The English attacker could have tied the match four minutes later on a cross from Trossard, but missed the close-range shot.
Luis Enrique put Dembélé on the pitch and the Frenchman was able to score his twenty-sixth goal, but Raya prevented it. Arsenal went for the goal that would reopen the tie, but the home side were already heading towards their second final, which they will play with more faith after the one they lost in 2020 in an empty stadium in Lisbon against Bayern Munich.
Ficha técnica
2 – Paris SG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes (Ramos, m.88); Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabián Ruiz; Barcola (Dembélé, m.70), Doué (Hernandez, m.74), Kvaratskhelia
1 – Arsenal: Raya; Timber (White, m.83), Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly (Calafiori, m.68); Partey, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli (Trossard, m.69)
Goals: 1-0, m.27: Fabián Ruiz; 2-0, m.72: Hakimi; 2-1, m.76: Saka.Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER). Booked home players Nuno Mendes (m.18) and Kvaratskhelia (86), and away players Rice (26), Lewis-Skelly (56), Calafiori (86) and Saka (86).
