Paris Saint-Germain have sealed their spot in the UEFA Champions League final after a 3-1 aggregate semi final win over Arsenal at the Parc des Princes on May 7.
PSG’s journey to the final has its share of ups and downs, with four wins, three losses and a draw in their first eight matches of the competition before dropping into the Round of 16 playoffs.
In their second UCL match of the season, Arsenal bagged a 2-0 win over PSG back in October, before the two teams were pitted against each other in semis, and the Parisians turned up the tempo to win both legs against the Gunners.
On route to the final, PSG have also defeated three other Premier League clubs in Europe this season, beating Manchester City 4-2 in the league phase, before eliminating Liverpool in the Round of 16, via a penalty shootout win at Anfield.
The Ligue 1 champions then bagged a 5-4 win on aggregate over Aston Villa in the quarter finals. All four of these EPL clubs currently sit inside the top seven of their domestic table, with Liverpool already claiming the title.
When reminded of PSG’s run against English teams this season, Luis Enrique could not resist aiming a dig at the EPL as his squad advanced to the final.
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What did PSG boss Luis Enrique say?
Luis Enrique sharp response was based on previous criticisms over the level of competitiveness in Ligue 1 and the Spanish manager hit back via an interview with 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 about our team – our mentality, how we play. It’s nice.”
Enrique was also candid and respectfully called out Mikel Arteta, who claimed 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 [than Arsenal] 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’s the most important thing. Arsenal played a great match and we suffered a lot, but we deserve to get to the final,.”
Luis Enrique and his players now have the chance to make history via a trophy quadruple, after already securing the Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions crowns.
PSG will face Inter Milan in the UCL final on May 31, in an attempt to win their first-ever Champions League trophy, and they face Reims in the Coupe de France final on May 24.
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