Paris Saint-Germain put on a footballing masterclass to reach the Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history, running riot against RB Leipzig to secure a statement 3-0 win.
The club’s Qatari owners have spent vast sums of money on assembling this squad, but tonight they will feel it was worth every penny. RB Leipzig are in some ways the antithesis of PSG; a more modest group of players who are more than the sum of their parts compared to an array of expensive superstars. But it was PSG’s stars who started by far the brightest and perhaps should have taken the lead inside five minutes. Angel Di Maria threaded a superb ball through the RB Leipzig defense for Neymar, who, as he did against Atlanta, missed a gilt-edged chance when through one on one with the goalkeeper. PSG did soon get the goal its early dominance deserved, but not through the Brazilian most would have expected. Di Maria was once again the creator, curling a fabulous free-kick int the box for Marquinhos to head home. The defender had been without a goal in the Champions League this season before the knockout stages in Lisbon, but two in his last two matches have helped put PSG in the final. RB Leipzig looked overwhelmed and overawed by the occasion. Though neither of these clubs have much elite European pedigree to speak of, it was PSG which looked more at home in this semifinal. But given how this exciting attacking team is coached by young manager Nagelsmann, Leipzig will always remain a threat.
