Paris Saint-Germain have sealed their spot in the Champions League final by defeating Arsenal 2-1 at Parc des Princes last night.
PSG’s journey to the final has its fair share of ups and downs, with four wins, three losses, and one draw in the first eight matches. The French side had to participate in the playoffs to qualify for the competition’s Round of 16.
In the second match of the Champions League this season, Arsenal bagged a 2-0 win over PSG in October. Both teams were then pitted against each other in semis, where the Parisians eliminated the Gunners with a 3-1 victory on aggregate.
Along the way, PSG also defeated three other Premier League clubs in the Champions League this season. They beat Manchester City 4-2 on the seventh matchday in January, followed by facing Liverpool in the Round of 16, where the French club won 4-1 on penalties.
PSG then bagged a 4-5 win on aggregate against Aston Villa in the quarter-final. All four of these Premier League clubs are currently top seven in the league table, with Liverpool having already claimed the title.
When reminded of PSG’s run against Premier League clubs this season, head coach Luis Enrique aimed a dig at the league after his squad advanced to the Champions League final.
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What did PSG boss Luis Enrique say?
Following the win over Arsenal, Enrique asked about PSG’s respective wins against Premier League clubs in the Champions League this season. The Spanish manager hit back at the remark made about Ligue 1 and their teams not being among the top-flight, and told TNT Sports,
“The league of farmers, no? We are the league of farmers. But it’s nice. We are enjoying the result and the compliments of everybody speaking of our team – our mentality, how we play. It’s nice.”
Enrique was also candid and respectfully called out Mikel Arteta, who claimed (via TNT Sports) that Arsenal were better than any team in the Champions League this term and ‘deserved much more.’
“I don’t think there’s been a better team in the competition from what I’ve seen. But we are out. We deserved much more but this competition is about the boxes, the strikers most of the time and the goalkeeper and theirs was the best player in both games,” said the Gunners’ boss.
However, Enrique openly disagreed with Arteta’s opinion while giving Arsenal credit for being great opponents.
“Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all [that Arsenal deserved to win]. They play the way they want and love to play, but in the two legs, we scored more goals than them and that is the most important thing. Arsenal played a great match and we suffered a lot, but we deserve to get to the final,” said Enrique.
It seems to be a great season for Enrique & Co., as after winning the Ligue 1 title and the Trophée des Champions, PSG will now face Inter Milan in the final on May 31 in hopes of lifting their first-ever Champions League trophy.
PSG also have an opportunity of winning a treble as they have sealed a spot in the Coupe de France final.