The dream has vanished, or it never existed. Not sharp enough, PSG emerged from this double confrontation with this observation of failure, symbolized by a statistic: 180 minutes without a goal. Taking into account the balances in force, the budgets and the payroll on each side, the term fiasco is not too bad to characterize this elimination, this Tuesday, May 7 in the evening at the Parc des Princes (0-1), even if football summons other arguments, fortunately still today, than the sums spent. Bankruptcy, here we come!
This return will have stretched the entire first leg, including the thrills of the two posts and two bars. Before, Ousmane Dembélé wasted by imprecision, Gonçalo Ramos fought while fixing the central hinge and Kylian Mbappé created very little in his left lane, even if he was at the origin of the most action. hot of the first period with a shift for Warren Zaire-Emery. That’s about it, in the first period, and as in Germany, PSG did not play a Champions League match, or only intermittently. Something to be angry about.
In the intensity, he fished despite a noticeable excess of aggression as if his pulse had gained around ten beats in a week. Weak. The crosses arrived but never where they were supposed to and the BVB’s way of defending was the most interesting ballet. The shots on target multiplied without Gregor Kobel having to provide information on his wingspan and reflexes. Shots for nothing, soft passes, overly slow reversals will have punctuated the life of an anemic Paris, once again below the codes of the C1.
If you have to go for a European Cup final with your teeth, he had those of a child who barely sleeps through the night. After the break, this Paris will wake up, with more numerous highlights, four goals, impactful changes like the entry of Bradley Barcola but over the course of a week, it will have been too sparing of its talent to have real regrets.
Six posts in two matches
The failure of this semi-final shows that PSG no longer had any mental resilience after qualifying against Barcelona. She should have boosted them, she buried them. Alignment of the planets, affordable draw, the capital club let itself fall asleep and was unable to change the complacency with which it presented itself during the two rounds. He never got into this semi-final and Dortmund did not have to dig deep to reach their first final since 2013 and try to win their second after 1997.
Success will also have fled Paris, with six goals in two matches, twelve over the season, which obviously would not have been the same story even if it is the eternal story of football.
Like Zaire-Emery, the Parisians lacked luck and precision. LP/Fred Dugit
This stoppage also emanates from an attack line not found throughout the entire semi-final, with the symbol of a mute Kylian Mbappé, a simple agitator on the return with low crosses in front of the goal for some German cold sweats. His size increases expectations and he was not there, like Luis Enrique who brought in Randal Kolo Muani on the outward leg and started Gonçalo Ramos on the return even though the Portuguese had only started one game of Champions League this season, in groups, in Newcastle.
The Asturian coach renewed the attack which crushed Lorient on April 24 (1-4) but it is possible that the Germans overall have a better team than the Merlus. They are in the Champions League final. Paris will try its luck again next year. As per usual.
