PSG players celebrate after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal 2-1 on Wednesday night, sealing their place in the Champions League final at the end of May in Munich. They will face Inter Milan, the survivors of a frenetic battle-royale against Barcelona on Tuesday.
French hopes will be pinned on Gianluigi Donnarumma, the man who deserves most credit for booking the ticket. He towered, literally and figuratively, over the semi-final, inexplicably flinging his fingertips to any angle or height required.
The game began with the same spirit that had possessed the San Siro the previous night, with the ball inexorably in motion, spinning between both teams and fizzing across the pristine Parc des Princes.
By the fourth minute, it was scarcely believable that Arsenal were not level on aggregate. Declan Rice, with the talismanic jump he reserves for these grand occasions, headed just wide. Seconds later, Donnarumma sublimely drooped to his left to keep out a close-range Gabriel Martinelli effort.
It was not long before Martin Ødegaard gave it a crack from the edge of the box, this time forcing the goalkeeper to stretch out his wingspan to protect his post.
The pattern of the game was a neat swap from the first leg: Arsenal dictating possession and Paris clinging onto parity.
It took a quarter of an hour, but the home side eventually bared their teeth on the counter. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found himself with a sight of the net and sent an effort curling to its corner. Painfully, he found the post instead.
Désiré Doué lacked the same verve with his effort. He could only muster a tame shot that David Raya snuffed out after a pass was slid to him in the middle of the box.
The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute with one of the strikes of the tournament. Fabián Ruiz chested the ball down with composure that belied the stakes of the occasion, setting himself up for an immaculate half-volley on his left foot. His silhouette was reminiscent of the iconic Zinedine Zidane goal that won Real Madrid this trophy in 2002. It may well live on with the same resonance for Paris should they lift it for the first time at the end of the month.
The goal drained some of the frenzy from the game, the tentative back-and-forth continuing into the first minutes of the second half. Arsenal resumed their pressure as it wore on, peppering their opponents with several half-chances — notably a Bukayo Saka effort that forced a sinew-stretching save out of Donnarumma.
That ended abruptly when PSG earned a penalty after three quarters of an hour. But the subsequent effort from Vitinha was even tamer than the handball that had earned it and was easily gathered by Raya.
Just three minutes later, it did not matter. Arsenal’s hesitancy and Achraf Hakimi’s combativeness earned the latter a sight of goal, and he ruthlessly dispatched the chance.
Even then, the extraordinary two days of football threatened to produce one last twist. Saka snapped up a consolation, returning the jeopardy to the last 15 minutes. Ultimately, however, Arsenal could do little beyond rattling Parisian nerves.
The final whistle confirmed PSG as worthy finalists. One more step remains to earn the prize they value above all else: the trophy with the big ears.