#FFXIV #UCLFinal #AllezParis #IciCestParis #BackToBack
Showing posts with label uefa champions league. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uefa champions league. Show all posts
Paris Saint-Germain: 2026 UEFA Champions League Winners
Paris retained their European title on penalties after a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
Paris Saint-Germain: 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Winners
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Paris Saint-Germain are the 24th different champions in European Cup history following a record-breaking 5-0 victory over Inter in the UEFA Champions League final in Munich.
Key moments
12': Hakimi turns in from close range
20': Doué rounds off rapid Paris counter
63': Doué drills into the bottom corner
73': Kvaratskhelia finishes low into the net
87': Mayulu smashes in record-breaking fifth
Match in brief: Doué double helps Paris blow Inter away
Inter had trailed for only 17 minutes of their 14-game campaign prior to the final, but it did not take long for them to fall behind on this occasion. Vitinha picked the first lock with a perfectly-weighted pass for Désiré Doué, who in turn showed silky skill to square for Hakimi to convert from close range against his former club.
Ousmane Dembélé provided the silver-service assist on 20 minutes, racing clear down the left before checking back on the edge of the penalty area to locate Doué. The 19-year-old needed one touch with his chest to take control and another with his right foot to fire in a shot which deflected in off Federico Dimarco.
The Nerazzurri settled as the half wore on but had only off-target headers from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram to show for their efforts.
Though there was renewed vigour from Simone Inzaghi's side after the break, it was Les Rouge-et-Bleu who once again had the creative and clinical edge. It was Vitinha's turn to drive decisively from midfield just after the hour, exchanging passes with Dembélé before sliding through for Doué to drill emphatically into the bottom right of the goal.
It was a different corner but the same result ten minutes later, Dembélé laying on his second assist of the night for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who fired low into the net.
Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a stunning save to keep out Thuram but there was still time for Senny Mayulu to apply the record-breaking flourish. Mayulu, also 19, combined neatly with fellow replacement Bradley Barcola before smashing a powerful strike in off a post. Paris had secured the biggest-ever margin of victory in a European Cup final.
PlayStation® Player of the Match: Désiré Doué (Paris)
"Two goals and an assist in a UEFA Champions League final at the age of only 19 is incredible. He played with unbelievable maturity, was very generous in laying up Hakimi for his goal and also worked very hard in defence."
UEFA Technical Observer Group
Alex Clementson, Paris reporter
A commanding first-half performance morphed into one of blissful attacking endeavour in the second. An incisive, inspired showing from Paris, and one which makes history for more reasons than one. It's an occasion that will live long in the memory for those inside this stadium, regardless of allegiance. There have been tears of pain, they're now flowing in joy. Congratulations Paris!
Vieri Capretta, Inter reporter
Paris were impressive throughout, with the Nerazzurri unable to get anywhere near their best level. From beginning to end, Paris were superior technically, physically and tactically. A well-deserved win for Luis Enrique's men.
Reaction
Désiré Doué, Player of the Match: “I have no words. That was just incredible for me, simply incredible."
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Paris goalkeeper: "We were almost out a few times during the season, then we managed to progress and completed an extraordinary season. Our coach gave us the freedom, kept us calm. This is his philosophy. He prepared the final in the best possible way, and we saw that.".
Rio Ferdinand, TNT Sports
"Paris dominated it – they suffocated them and pressed them. From the word go, they pressed the life out of them and they had players that were in killer mode today. It’s an astonishing performance in a game of this magnitude. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such dominance at this stage."
Key stats
Doué and Mayulu are only the third and fourth teenagers to score in a UEFA Champions League final, after Patrick Kluivert in 1995 and Carlos Alberto in 2004.
No team had ever won a European Cup final by more than a four-goal margin prior to this.
Doué is the first player to score twice in a final since Gareth Bale for Real Madrid against Liverpool in 2018, and the eighth to do so in the Champions League era.
Luis Enrique is the seventh coach to win the European Cup with multiple teams, having also guided Barcelona to glory in 2015.
Hakimi is the first Moroccan to score in a European Cup final.
Paris have played 99 Champions League matches since they were involved in a 0-0 draw (vs Real Madrid, 2015/16 group stage).
Inter had trailed for just 17 minutes of their entire 14-game campaign prior to the final.
All four European Cup finals in Munich have produced a first-time winner.
Line-ups
Paris: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes (Hernández 78); João Neves (Zaïre-Emery 84), Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz (Mayulu 84); Kvaratskhelia (Gonçalo Ramos 84), Dembélé, Doué (Barcola 66)
Inter: Sommer; Pavard (Bisseck 53; Darmian 62), Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Hakan Çalhanoglu (Asllani 70), Mkhitaryan (Augusto 62), Dimarco (Zalewski 53); Lautaro Martínez, Thuram
FFXIV Misadventures: Special Episode: The Champions Hunt
#FFXIV #AllezParis #UCLFinal #ChampionsLeague #IciCestParis
Real Madrid: 2023-24 UEFA Champions League Winners
Dani Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior scored the goals as Real Madrid overcame a spirited Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to win the 2024 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.
Edin Terzić had issued a rallying cry to his Dortmund players before the game, saying: "If we are brave then we're going to have a chance." BVB were more than brave in the first half, they were fearless in the face of the 14-time winners and created a host of chances that should have resulted in a half-time lead.
Early sighters from Federico Valverde and the otherwise well-marshalled Vinícius Júnior were as effective as Los Blancos could be, while Dortmund displayed a far greater cutting edge bar the final finish.
Karim Adeyemi was central to their threat. The winger was only denied by a last-ditch tackle from Dani Carvajal after rounding Thibaut Courtois then tested the Madrid No1 from Julian Brandt's pinpoint through ball, Niclas Füllkrug just unable to nod the rebound back towards goal.
In between, Füllkrug himself had prodded against the post from Ian Maatsen's pass, and the half ended with Courtois again called upon, this time to push Marcel Sabitzer's raking drive wide.
A stern-faced Carlo Ancelotti emerged from the dressing room at half-time still in discussions with the often-overworked Jude Bellingham and Toni Kroos, and the German midfielder, playing his last game for the club, took on added responsibility, calling Gregor Kobel into action for the first time with a whipped free-kick.
Dortmund remained unmoved, focused and positive. Though the contest's equilibrium had been restored, it was BVB who continued to prise the more presentable openings, Courtois standing tall to keep out a stinging Füllkrug header just after the hour mark.
Could Madrid find a way to turn the tide? They always seem to find a way – and this time would be no different. The source was perhaps unexpected, but Carvajal, determined to make history by playing in a joint-record sixth winning team in the final, rose highest to head in Kroos's corner.
Now the fear which Ancelotti had warned his players about before the showpiece was gone. Bellingham and Nacho came so close to adding a second before Vinícius Júnior did, receiving Bellingham's pass and sweeping his finish across Kobel to seal a 15th European crown for Madrid.
Matthias Rötters, Dortmund reporter
After a strong first half from Dortmund, Madrid slowly regained a foothold in the contest. BVB were unable to find an answer to the second-half breakthrough from Carvajal. They looked to have the most successful side in this competition on the back foot at times tonight but, once again, it is the La Liga side who are celebrating.
Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter
In the amazing moments which won the semi-final against Bayern, it was German-born Joselu who beat Madrid's Bundesliga rivals. This time, it was a brilliant Mannschaft international Kroos, in his final match for Los Blancos, who crossed for a man, Carvajal, who cut his teeth at Leverkusen, to nod Madrid in front and break the deadlock. And the decisive second goal? Set up by an ex-Dortmund man, Bellingham. There was such a remarkable 'Made in Germany' feel to how Madrid won their fabled '15th'.
Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid coach: "You never get accustomed to this. It was a very difficult, much more so than we thought it would be. In the first half, we had to suffer; in the second half, we lost the ball less and played better – but those are all trifling details now. We won. The dream continues."
Dani Carvajal, Madrid defender and Player of the Match: "We sure know how to suffer but, believe me, I'd love to win these matches more easily. I'd been coming up for corners most of the season. Determination is key to my approach – I'd headed one over and I just knew I had to score the second one!"
Toni Kroos, Madrid midfielder: "The decisive thing was that we didn't concede in the first half. The first half really wasn't good from us. Then we got into the game better and scored the goal. We were fully there and the better team. But it took a long time until we were the better team tonight."
Jude Bellingham, Madrid midfielder: "I've always dreamed of playing in these games. I can't put it into words. It's the best night of my life. It's got to be up there in terms of the perfect season. I can't have dreamed it much better than this. I'm so grateful to my team-mates, my family, the team behind the scenes: the physios, everyone there. This is a massive group effort."
Edin Terzić, Dortmund head coach: "We put in a great display and I think we deserved more than losing 2-0. From the first second, we showed the whole world that we weren't just here simply to play a final – but to win it. We did so many things right, but they were ice-cold at the right moment, which is what we lacked today."
Mats Hummels, Dortmund defender: "We had a great match. I’m super proud of the team for how we presented ourselves here. We played bravely, with heart, and played quality football. We only just missed out on scoring a goal. Real Madrid then strike, as they’ve done many times before."
Ally McCoist, TNT Sports
"You've got to have sympathy for Edin Terzić and the Dortmund boys, who performed exceptionally well. We just knew, at some point, Real Madrid would come back into the game. They got their goal from an unlikely source in Carvajal, and Vinícius Júnior effectively ended the match. Madrid are champions once again for a reason."
Key stats
Madrid have won the European Cup for a record 15th time.
Los Blancos have been successful in each of their nine appearances in the final in the Champions League era.
The Spanish side were unbeaten in their 13 Champions League matches this season (W9 D4). This is the first time they have won a European Cup/Champions League final without losing a match during the campaign.
Madrid have only failed to score in one of their last 18 European Cup/Champions League finals. That was in their 1-0 defeat against Liverpool in 1981.
Madrid have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last 11 European Cup/Champions League finals. The last time was in their 3-1 defeat against Inter in 1964.
Dani Carvajal scored for just the second time in the Champions League (group stage to final). His only other goal in his previous 88 appearances came in November 2015 against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Vinícius Júnior became the first Brazilian to score in two different European Cup/Champions League finals.
Luka Modrić and Dani Carvajal have matched Paco Gento's record by playing on the winning team in six European Cup/Champions League finals.
Carlo Ancelotti has extended his record number of Champions League wins as a coach to five – two more than any other coach.
Fantasy star performers
Dani Carvajal: 16 points
Jude Bellingham, Nacho, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Thibaut Courtois: 7 points
Line-ups
Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Emre Can (Malen 80), Sabitzer; Adeyemi (Reus 72), Brandt (Haller 80), Sancho (Bynoe-Gittens 87); Füllkrug
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos (Modrić 85), Camavinga; Bellingham (Joselu 85); Rodrygo (Éder Militão 90+1), Vinícius Júnior (Lucas Vázquez 90+4)
Madrid will take on UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on Wednesday 14 August.
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League begins with the first qualifying round on 9/10 July; the draw takes place on Tuesday 18 June.
Madrid and Dortmund will enter next season's competition in the new-look league phase, the draw for which takes place on Thursday 29 August.
Manchester City: 2022-23 UEFA Champions League Winners
Match in brief: City claim European glory
City navigated an unbeaten path to the final, racking up a competition-best 31 goals in the process, so it was little surprise that they started on the front foot. Inter had let in only one goal in six knockout games, however, and for so long did an excellent job of marshalling their opponents' galaxy of attacking talent.
Erling Haaland – subsequently flagged offside – and Bernardo Silva did both go close in the opening stages, but it was not until the 27th minute that Kevin De Bruyne unpicked the Nerazzurri lock and Haaland got off a firm shot at goal; André Onana, as usual, was positioned well.
De Bruyne is so often City's creator-in-chief, but the man with 31 assists this season came off injured before half-time; Josep Guardiola's team would have to think again.
Their faith was tested once more before the hour, Manuel Akanji misjudging a Bernardo Silva pass to allow Lautaro Martínez to pounce. On this occasion, Ederson was alert enough to close down the angle.
Onana had no such luxury at the other end when a neat City move resulted in the ball dropping to Rodri just inside the penalty area; City's midfield pivot showed characteristic calm to side-foot into the corner. The treble was on.
Inter were far from deflated by going behind, though, and, just three minutes later, so nearly drew level, only for Federico Dimarco's looping header to strike the crossbar.
De Bruyne's replacement, Phil Foden, soon went close at the other end, but there was still time for one last nerve-jangler for Guardiola and his charges. Romelu Lukaku's close-ranger header somehow ricocheted off Ederson's knee and the engraver could finish adding City's name to the trophy for the first time.
PlayStation® Player of the Match: Rodri (Man City)
"Came up with the winning goal in a game with few chances and his involvement for City between the boxes was essential to having a balanced City side."
UEFA Technical Observer Panel
Matthew Howarth, Man City reporter
It was perhaps not the prettiest performance from Guardiola's star-studded ensemble, but this was never likely to be one-sided affair – Inter are far too good for that. The Serie A side were excellent in the first half but, when City were struggling to get into gear early in the second, they failed to take advantage. Rodri's goal cements his place in club history on the back of a tremendous personal campaign, while Guardiola becomes the first coach since Sir Alex Ferguson to lead an English club to the treble.
Vieri Capretta, Inter reporter
An almost perfect first half for the Nerazzurri – solid at the back and showing glimpses of what they could do going forward. In the second half Inter did what they had to do, kept the game under control, had two enormous chances, but ultimately came up short. Simone Inzaghi and his players shouldn't have regrets – with a bit of luck this could have gone their way.
Key stats
City are the 23rd different team – and the sixth from England – to win the European Cup.
Josep Guardiola is just the fourth coach to win the European Cup on three occasions.
City are only the tenth team in history to complete a treble of league, cup and European Cup.
Haaland finished as the competition's leading scorer with 12 goals.
City are the 15th European Cup winners to remain unbeaten throughout their campaign (W8 D5).
This was the fourth successive UEFA Champions League final to finish 1-0.
Fantasy star performers
To follow.
Line-ups
Man City: Ederson; Akanji, Rúben Dias, Aké; Stones (Walker 82), Rodri; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne (Foden 36), Gündoğan, Grealish; Haaland
Inter: Onana; Darmian (D'Ambrosio 84), Acerbi, Bastoni (Gosens 76); Dumfries (Bellanova 76), Barella, Brozović, Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Mkhitaryan 84), Dimarco; Martínez, Džeko (Lukaku 57)
What's next?
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League begins with the preliminary round semi-finals on 27 June; the draw takes place on Tuesday 13 June. Both City and Inter will enter next season's competition in the group stage, the draw for which takes place on Thursday 31 August.
Real Madrid: 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Winners
So often victorious having had their backs against the wall in this season's competition, Madrid were once again the less assertive team for long stretches of this game. As ever, though, they found a way.
Thibaut Courtois warrants enormous credit, having pulled off a string of fine saves to keep Liverpool at bay. Mohamed Salah was denied on multiple occasions, though it was Sadio Mané who went closest in the first half – this time Courtois had a post to thank for completing the job.
Karim Benzema did have the ball in the net before half-time only for VAR to intervene. The Merengues' celebrations were given full voice just before the hour, however, Federico Valverde's cross-shot picking out Vinícius in space at the back post. Madrid's No20 could not miss.
Courtois was at it again with seven minutes left, Salah again the man denied by his lightning-fast reactions. Madrid threatened to add a second on the break thereafter, but not for the first time, they had done just enough.
PlayStation® Player of the Match: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Player of the Match: Thibaut Courtois
"Crucial saves at critical moments during the first half when Liverpool were on top. Also an extraordinary save to deny Salah late on."
UEFA Technical Observer panel
Joseph Walker, Real Madrid reporter
What can you say? Madrid just know how to win finals. They get the job done, whatever it takes, and thanks to Courtois and Vinícius they are 14-time European champions. Once they took the lead they didn't look like losing and kept Liverpool at arm's length. Chapeau, as they say round these parts.
Rio Ferdinand, BT Sport
"I've never seen a harder route to the final. Madrid have beaten the champions of France, the champions of England. It's taken my breath away. They put in a magnificent performance."
Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
Had it not been for Courtois, Liverpool would be celebrating a seventh European Cup. The Belgium keeper was simply sensational in Paris, producing save after save to frustrate the likes of Salah and Mané. Given their exploits in previous rounds of the competition, perhaps this was always destined to be Real Madrid's year – but that will be no comfort whatsoever to Jürgen Klopp and his players. They have enjoyed an outstanding campaign domestically and in Europe, but it's a huge shame it had to end in this most painful of defeats.
Reaction
Carlo Ancelotti: 'We've achieved something nobody expected'
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach: "I cannot believe I've won four Champions Leagues! It was a difficult game, we suffered in the first half but in the end with all the games we played I think we deserved to win this competition. We’ve achieved something that nobody expected of us at the start of the season, and we've done that thanks to our quality, our commitment, our history, everything. We're very happy."
Karim Benzema, Real Madrid captain: "We're so happy and proud of this team. We've done the double and deservedly so. It was a tough game but it always is in the Champions League, and more so in a final. It means so much to me to win another Champions League here in my home country."
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: “The problem is when you play against Real Madrid and they play that deep, their counterattacking threat is immense. I saw us doing a lot of good things, but it was not enough. We accept that. They scored a goal and we didn't – that's the easiest explanation in the world of football. It's harsh, but we respect that of course."
Key stats
Madrid have now won twice as many European Cups as any other club (AC Milan have won seven); they have won all eight finals in which they have played in the UEFA Champions League era.
Carlo Ancelotti is the first coach to win the European Cup four times; he is also the only one to have taken a team to five finals.
Karim Benzema finished as 2021/22 Champions League top scorer with 15 goals.
Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modrić have all equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of five UEFA Champions League titles.
1-0 is now the most common score in UEFA Champions League finals. This is the sixth final – and third in succession – to feature just one goal; five have finished both 1-1 and 2-1.
Fantasy star performers
Thibaut Courtois – 12
Éder Militão – 9
Dani Carvajal – 8
Line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Keïta 77), Fabinho, Thiago (Firmino 77); Salah, Mané, Luis Díaz (Jota 65)
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Éder Militão, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić (Ceballos 90); Valverde (Camavinga 86), Benzema, Vinícius Júnior (Rodrygo 90+3)
While Madrid prepared to crown Mbappe their new prince, Benzema reminded us all that he's still king
MADRID -- It was written in the stars that a Frenchman would shine at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, when Real Madrid hosted Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round-of-16 second leg. It just wasn't the one we all expected.
For his big audition in the Spanish capital ahead of a widely speculated move to Madrid this summer, Kylian Mbappe did what he does best: score goals and be the best player in the world. Yet the star of the show was his "big brother," Karim Benzema.
When the talk of the town was about Mbappe and his future, Benzema sent a reminder, not only to the whole of the Spanish capital but the rest of the world, that he is still the boss. He became the oldest player to score a hat trick in Champions League history, the first French player to score three hat tricks in the competition and he sent his team to the quarterfinals via a 3-1 win on the night and a 3-2 aggregate victory -- sending the Bernabeu into a frenzy in the process.
His celebrations, his evident joy, spoke volumes. Apart from his performance, there was little else from a disappointing Real Madrid side. They lacked intensity for the opening hour, but they can always rely on Benzema, who on this night overtook Alfredo Di Stefano as the third-leading goal scorer in Real Madrid history with 309 goals -- just behind Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has been their saviour on more than one occasion this season -- and in the previous one, too. His three goals on Wednesday bring his total to eight in the Champions League this season and 77 in his career (only Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have more). This season, he has 30 goals and 11 assists in 31 matches across all competitions. That's 41 goal involvements in 31 matches, in a team that's struggled to create chances for him, at the age of 34. This is Ballon d'Or territory.
The incredible thing in this game is that he didn't even need much to score. The striker took full advantage of PSG's complacency and errors. How could Gianluigi Donnarumma give away the ball in the manner that he did on Madrid's first goal? What was Neymar doing with his terrible pass that led to the counterattack for the second goal? And what about Marquinhos' assist for Benzema's third? These were schoolboy errors, but Benzema was there to punish the Parisians all the same.
Just when we thought there was a new prince in Madrid, the king struck three times to remind everyone that the Santiago Bernabeu remains his castle.
If Ronaldo was watching from his sofa in Manchester, he surely would have appreciated Benzema's performance. It was a very Ronaldo-esque display, full of talent, efficiency and guts. The Frenchman bailed out his team much like his ex-teammate did so many times before.
Of course, this victory and Madrid's march to the quarterfinals is as much Benzema's success as it is PSG's failure.
Once again, Paris failed mentally. They choked, throwing away a two-goal lead in an unthinkable way.
We have been here before, of course. They conceded three goals in 16 minutes and 41 seconds on Wednesday, which last happened to them in the Champions League in the infamous Remontada in Barcelona (wherein PSG's 4-0 first-leg advantage ended in a 6-5 aggregate defeat) almost to this day five years ago.
At PSG, managers are hired and fired, players come and go, but some things never change. There is a lack of leadership, a lack of resilience, in every squad, year after year. The mindset of the entire football club is wrong.
The players shot themselves in the foot again. They were in control and gave it up far too easily, and too quickly.
Mauricio Pochettino had no answers. He was apathetic on the touchline, almost like he had seen a ghost. How could he leave Neymar on the pitch for the entire game considering the pressure PSG were under? Never mind the fact that the Brazilian just came back from a long-term injury. It is highly unlikely that Pochettino will still be the club's manager next season, despite being under contract until June 2023.
The PSG hierarchy will blame the referee and VAR for allowing the first goal to stand, not calling a foul on Benzema after his physical challenge on Donnarumma in the build-up, and this is part of the problem. When they capitulate like this, it is never their fault. There are always excuses, fault lying elsewhere, and PSG never look at themselves, admit their mistakes or the flaws in the way the club works -- or in this case, doesn't work.
The season is now over for PSG. They will win Ligue 1 but that is almost a minor detail. They failed to win the Trophee des Champions against Lille, they were knocked out of the Coupe de France in the round of 16 by Nice and they were humiliated again in the Champions League at the same stage.
This is the worst season the club has endured since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011. And it will be very hard to get over it.
Chelsea: 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Winners
Chelsea are champions of Europe again after defeating Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday evening.
A sundrenched Estádio do Dragão in Portugal was the venue for an epic all-England clash that will go down in the club's folklore, joining 'that night in Munich' as a historic victory for the Blues.
After an end-to-end first half in which both sides had glorious chances, it was Kai Havertz who was the man of the moment in the 42nd minute. The German met Mason Mount's world-class searching pass and rounded Ederson to send the travelling fans into raptures.
The second half was as nervy and as tense a second half that any Blues fan could suffer - penalty shouts, last ditch interceptions and the final bow of Sergio Aguero to name but three trials Chelsea had to overcome.
But overcome they did, and in the final analysis it was maybe as relatively comfortable a final that the Pensioners could have hoped for. To a man, each Chelsea player rose to the occasion, snuffed out any danger and put in a performance deserving of lifting Ol' Big Ears nine years after legends like Didier Drogba and Petr Cech did so for the club.
It's a remarkable end to a topsy-turvy season for Chelsea Football Club. Thomas Tuchel and his men have cemented themselves into the history books, and the scenes at the final whistle will be savoured by millions of Blues fans around the globe.
From the off it was apparent that Manchester City had come to defend from the front, relentlessly pressing the Blues in the early stages and looking to impress their game plan with immediacy.
The obvious trade-off with this strategy is that Chelsea would be able to get in behind - Timo Werner doing so just a few minutes in and finding Kai Havertz, who could only find Ederson's clutches with his ball across.
Alarm bells started to ring in the 7th minute when a sublime long ball from the Citizens' goalkeeper found Raheem Sterling bearing down on goal. Reece James did well to track back, and between him and Edouard Mendy they managed to deal with the danger.
The Pensioners were next to try their luck. Nice interplay between Mason Mount and Havertz saw the latter square for Werner to find himself unmarked from six yards out, only for the former Leipzig man to fluff his lines.
Werner would be presented with two further chances in quick succession in the 13th minute. A superbly constructed Chelsea counter attack drew a comfortable Ederson save, before the German smashed the ball into the side netting.
The box office Blues were breaking with regularity - another sublime passage of play saw N'Golo Kanté of all people rise highest to head just wide. Thomas Tuchel will have been pleased with what he saw from his side in the first quarter of regulation time, but there was a sense that Chelsea had to take one of these chances sooner rather than later.
Chelsea had the lionhearted Antonio Rüdiger to thank for keeping the scorecards level in the 27th minute. Kevin De Bruyne's cute threaded ball was met by Phil Foden, who seemingly only had Mendy to beat in a one on one before Rüdiger's unbelievable recovery block.
City were looking dangerous again just two minutes later, with Riyad Mahrez just inches away from meeting a driven ball across the Chelsea bow with his toe.
A bitter blow to the Blues was to arise with ten minutes of the half to go. The ever dependable and experienced Thiago Silva had to leave the field after picking up an innocuous groin injury. On came his able deputy Andreas Christensen, who had huge boots to fill.
Disappointment was followed by jubilation. Mason Mount's sensational through ball on the turn found Chelsea's £72m man Havertz, who curved his run excellently and prodded past the onrushing Ederson. The Brazilian keeper seemed to handle the ball outside of the box, but his efforts were to no avail in any case as the former Leverkusen man stroked it home into the empty net.
It was the last notable action of a scintillating first half, with the Blues full value for the lead and just 45 minutes away from the joint greatest night in the club's illustrious history.
The job was far from done, however. Unsurprisingly, the Manchester City onslaught started in earnest, with the Citizens stepping up further after the break and looking to press the issue. Chelsea, also unsurprisingly, were more than happy to sit back and soak up the pressure in their compact shape.
After Thiago Silva's departure in the first half, there was cause for concern ten minutes into the second period when Rüdiger and De Bruyne collided hard, leaving both men down dazed. Chelsea's German centre-back is simply built different, but De Bruyne didn't beat the count. He made way for Gabriel Jesus.
A huge City penalty claim was to follow as Raheem Sterling drilled the ball towards goal, but referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was convinced that it hit Reece James' midrift instead. A VAR check confirmed the referee's suspicions. Foden fired well over not long afterwards.
Both teams looked to the bench for further inspiration. Fernandinho came on for a quiet Bernardo Silva in the 64th minute, with Christian Pulisic introduced to the fray for Timo Werner two minute later. The former Borussia Dortmund prodigy became the first American to play in a Champions League final.
Chelsea's skipper César Azpilicueta showed his experience to prevent a certain Ilkay Gündoğan tap in at the back post in the 69th minute, scooping it over the bar from what was no more than six yards out.
It was almost game over for Manchester City a short time after. A beautiful break ended with the immense Havertz playing in the newly introduced Pulisic, who scooped it over Ederson and saw the ball flie agonisingly wide at the far post.
Desperate times for the de facto home side called for familiar measures. Sergio Aguero took to the field for his final bow as a Manchester City player in the 77th minute. It was time for the Alamo at the back for the Blues, and Tuchel responded by subbing the Croatian dynamo Mateo Kovacic on for Mason Mount.
Aguero was almost the hero when the ball landed at his feet in the box, but he elected to try and chip the ball over to teammate Foden and it was meat and drink for the Senegalese giant in the Chelsea goal.
Inexplicably, seven minutes were added on in injury time to prolong Chelsea's valiant defensive efforts. City threw the kitchen sink and all of the plumbing at the Blues' backline, pumping ball after ball into the box. Thomas Tuchel was playing cheerleader for the fans on the touchline - the German manager must be exhausted with how much energy he spent running up and down the touchline tonight.
What will make those aches sweeter is going to sleep knowing that he has come in and masterminded a quite simply extraordinary Champions League campaign for Chelsea. From 9th in the Premier League in January to European champions in May - it's a Chelsea thing.
Bayern Munich: 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Winners
In that moment of elation, the cameras hunted for despair. They found it in the slight, forlorn shape of Neymar, sitting on Paris St.-Germain’s bench, a perfect picture of heartbreak. Neymar, with tears in his eyes. Neymar, staring into the middle distance. Neymar, with his head in his hands.
Here, in tight focus, was the shot, the story. No player fits so neatly as an avatar for their team as Neymar. He is the most expensive player in the world, and his club is the richest project soccer has ever seen. His career has been shaped by money, and the club’s ambitions are fueled by it. He is the star concerned only with his own light. He is the princeling who yearned to be king. He is the modern P.S.G. made flesh.
In those lingering camera shots, in the silence, Neymar not only illustrated how that felt, but exposed the limitations that had led him, and his team, here. It is always easier to tell an individual story than a collective one. There is no one image — not Joshua Kimmich’s artful cross, not Kingsley Coman’s precise header, not Manuel Neuer’s trophy lift — that encapsulates the source of Bayern’s success.
Nor is there a single, pithy explanation. Bayern was, by a shade, the better team in a final that produced a dish quite distinct from any of its ingredients. Two teams front-loaded with attacking talent combined in Lisbon to create a game — a compelling, absorbing game — that was more slow-burn drama than quick-fire entertainment.
Both defended with grit and steel and thought. Neither was quite as assured as normal. Robert Lewandowski was a touch short of his ruthless best leading the Bayern line; Kylian Mbappé was not quite as explosive as he could be for P.S.G. Neymar did not want for work ethic, but his invention was just a little lacking.
Both teams were in pursuit of a domestic and European treble — league, cup and Champions league silverware — and yet neither was quite itself. Bayern won because it came closer than P.S.G., because its self-perception is better defined, because it draws its strength and its wonder from its system, not from the lavish talent of its individuals.
Hansi Flick, Bayern’s coach, had the courage not to change tack out of respect for — or fear of — P.S.G.’s fearsome front line. Bayern played the high defensive line which, common consensus had it, Mbappé in particular would relish. He trusted his players not to blink. The margins were fine, and P.S.G. hardly played badly, but the reward justified the risk.
That will be of scant solace to Neymar and his teammates, of course. The identity of the player that proved their undoing will add a little sting for P.S.G., too. Coman was born and raised in Paris; he joined P.S.G.’s youth academy as a child. He was a teammate of Presnel Kimpembe, the French champion’s central defender, until both were 18.
Coman made his first appearance for P.S.G.’s senior team at 16, the youngest player ever to do so. Like so many others, he is a product of Paris and its banlieues, the suburbs and satellite towns that are, perhaps, the most fertile breeding ground for soccer players in the world. Only São Paulo, Buenos Aires and South London even come close to rivaling it.
And yet Coman, like Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kanté and even Mbappé, until he was brought home at vast cost, got away. Coman left for Juventus in 2014, having grown frustrated at the lack of opportunities he was offered by his hometown team. The scale of investment from P.S.G.’s Qatari backers had by then made the club fallow ground for young prospects. Coman went to Italy, and from there to Munich. Now he has returned to haunt the club that made him, to vanquish it when it was in sight of its goal.
But one picture does not tell a story. Coman’s career has been remarkable. He is only 24, and yet he has already won 20 major trophies. Every season that he has been a professional — he made his debut in 2013 — he has ended as a league champion: twice with P.S.G., once with Juventus, five times with Bayern.
Coman is, in other words, the ultimate player for European soccer’s superclub era. He is the embodiment of the game’s stratification, for how different the world of the elite is from that of those mere mortals who might not win a championship every single season of their career. In these circumstances, it feels almost inevitable that at some point he was going to score the winning goal in a Champions League final. He is proof that, at a certain height, it is almost impossible to fall.
For all Neymar’s tears, he and the team he represents — in more ways than one — are precisely the same. Sunday’s final had been dressed up as a meeting between two visions of soccer: the old power and the new money, the establishment and the insurgent, the immovable object of European soccer’s self-appointed aristocracy and the unstoppable force of a sports team co-opted as the marketing tool of a nation state.
In Bayern Munich’s victory, it is possible to draw the conclusion that there is, for now, at least, some sort of winner. Paris St.-Germain has obsessed over the Champions League for a decade. It has spent billions in pursuit of it. It has inveigled its way into the corridors of power and it has broken the rules, both in letter and in spirit, and it has done its best to shift the landscape to its own ends. It wants nothing more than that one trophy, that ultimate vindication of its plan.
And though it came closer than it ever had before this summer, it has failed again. Chalk up a victory not necessarily for the good guys — Bayern Munich, for all its folksy customs, is not what any outsider would call lovable — but for the way things have always been. The old certainties hold. The new order has not been established, and Neymar is sitting on the bench in tears.
But a single picture does not tell a whole story. P.S.G. has not failed, not really, not in the long term. Its presence here was success. A decade since its Gulf money arrived, it can breathe the same rarefied air as the old elite. That, in the context of what Qatar wants from its investment, is almost the same as the Champions League trophy. Almost.
So, too, all of the associations that come with it. To have Neymar — the most expensive player on the planet, an icon, a social media phenomenon — as the avatar of this P.S.G. team is to demonstrate all of the things that are valuable to the club’s backers about this project. It speaks of power and wealth and glamour and relevance and affection, in some quarters, if not universally.
Neymar’s despair might have been the final image of the night, but that is the closing of a chapter, not the culmination of the book. Just as the European soccer season lasts nine months and, at the end of it, Coman gets a medal or three, the same is true of P.S.G. There will be another chance, and another chance after that, and on and on into the future.
Young money soon morphs into old power, and the insurgents become the ruling class. Neymar will be back here again; P.S.G. will be back here again. That is the way the game is built. That is the way the game works. At a certain height, the tears never last for long.
His quest is his club’s quest: to win hearts and minds, to prove their greatness and their worth and, in doing so, to gain recognition and acceptance. Both see the Champions League as the only stage on which that can be achieved. Both had failed at the last step on Sunday: a single goal had been enough to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory and a sixth European crown, and prolong the agony of P.S.G.
PSG ended Champions League curse vs. Dortmund. Only time will tell if they get to keep going
PSG ended Champions League curse vs. Dortmund. Only time will tell if they get to keep going
Julien Laurens
Correspondent
ESPN
It was a seismic event in an empty stadium as the biggest Paris Saint-Germain victory of the season to date was celebrated in almost complete silence. Yet some of the players swear that, when Anthony Taylor blew the whistle for full-time, confirming PSG's place in the Champions League quarterfinals and eliminating Borussia Dortmund, they could hear the thousands of fans gathered outside the Parc des Princes while they left the pitch inside.
Wednesday night's 2-0 win happened behind closed doors, but all through the mild Parisian night, the doors had been open a little bit. The ultras, congregating outside, demonstrated what it meant to love a football club. They were a constant presence before, during and after the game, singing, chanting and lighting red flares in celebration.
They had good reason to celebrate, too. The victory was significant given that the pressure on PSG was high, the stakes enormous and the emotional release at full-time so huge. PSG, Thomas Tuchel, the Qatar royal family that owns the club, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, you name it: They would not be knocked out again at this stage of the competition like they were in the past three seasons. Repeating that heartbreak would have surely signified the end of Tuchel as manager and probably the end of the "Neymappe" cycle, too. Another early humiliation would have very possibly meant their collective departure in the summer.
The reputation of being the team that bottles the big occasions after two remontada home and away in the past three years was starting to follow them around. The curse of the Champions League, with all those dramatic premature exits, was starting to be too heavy to carry. On top of all of that, they had to play in an empty stadium and with Mbappe on the bench, having barely recovered from a nasty case of flu and a precautionary coronavirus test that came out negative the day before the game.
With all the narratives swirling around the match, they still came out with a performance none of their fans (or critics) had seen this season. They played as a team, something no one really thought they could pull off. They defended together, pressing and counterpressing together. It was a display full of heart, guts and talent. They were disciplined, well-organised, aggressive. It was a controlled victory, not a thing you normally say about PSG, particularly not this season.
One player epitomised their efforts. Neymar is, without doubt, a divisive player. He is loved and disliked around the world in equal. He did troll Erling Haaland with his goal celebration after the Norwegian international kicked off the banter on social media earlier in the day. Dortmund as a club had actually been quite vocal on social media after their 2-1 first leg win, with the likes of Axel Witsel, Emre Can, Haaland, the club's official Twitter account and even former player (and Champions League winner) Lars Ricken all having a go at PSG.
"We felt that [Dortmund] lost their humility after the first leg. After their win, they put out a lot of tweets, Instagram posts -- a lot of words. We all saw it and kept it in the back of our heads and I think it boosted us. We had a bit of anger in our minds," Presnel Kimpembe said after the match on Wednesday.
The roles were reversed compared to last season's elimination, in which PSG were not humble enough before their ill-fated game against Manchester United at home. But the players learned their lesson this time around, with Neymar setting the tone and playing like a leader. He scored the first goal and began the move for the second one. For the Brazil international, who missed the previous two crucial round-of-16 Champions League second legs through injury and failed to get his move back to Barcelona in the summer, the qualification felt like a liberation.
Before the communion with the fans from one of the Parc des Princes' elevated passageways, Neymar had a moment to himself and cried. Like his teammates, he knows that there is still a long way to go in this competition and that PSG have not won anything yet, but it was a crucial victory and he knew it.
Said Tuchel of his star, "He is so reliable in those kind of games. We can count on him, he won't disappoint and he will meet for rations. He can deal with the pressure. He has the personality and the confidence to exploit his genius potential. He still needs a bit of rhythm but he has the sense of sacrifice."
Truth be told, the French champions had been confident all week. All the vibes emanating from the PSG camp were positive -- a genuine change from the doom and gloom they've felt at times in 2020. It had been a few turbulent weeks since the first leg in Dortmund and the 2-1 defeat after a poor display both individually and collectively. Tuchel's position was fragile; he was publicly criticised by Thomas Meunier, Neymar and Marquinhos while Kimpembe's brother insulted him on social media. There were Neymar's injuries and Mbappé's illness, but after the first leg, the players jelled together. They responded together to the criticism from sporting director Leonardo and Tuchel that they should not have celebrated the way they did the birthdays of Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani two days after the loss in Germany.
Tuchel's postmatch remarks revealed his relief. "It got stuck in my throat when I saw the way PSG are treated, how you talk about me," he told Sky Germany after the game, given how critical it had been following Dortmund's first-leg win. "I watched your show on my iPad by accident and I saw the headlines, 'Tuchel doesn't control his dressing room, his players do what they want, he is only a circus director.' You can say hi to your channel. You will have to explain to me how you can treat [me and PSG] so negatively when we have won 28 games in a row."
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas also showed his leadership by standing up to Leonardo. The squad showed more unity than ever, and we saw it after the win on Wednesday. The celebrations with the ultras and in the dressing room were wild and long-lasting. However, it could not be a PSG Champions League season without drama, and obviously the uncertainty about the rest of the competition cast a big shadow over the qualification. It would be so textbook for PSG if the Champions League was to be cancelled the year when they finally vanquished the hoodoo around them and showed a real ability to go on and win.
Nevertheless, the club's attention has shifted to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak across the globe, and they're taking it seriously. When Mbappé was diagnosed with the flu on Monday, he was immediately tested for COVID-19. They are taking sensible precautions, like the complete disinfection of the stadium and training ground, with access to hand gel everywhere around club properties.
As the world of football holds its breath regarding the rest of its season, PSG are feeling stronger and stronger. With as much as hope as possible that the action will continue, the full story of their season, along with that of everyone else still in the Champions League, are yet to be written.
Liverpool: 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Winners
Liverpool are champions of Europe for the sixth time after a 2-0 defeat of Premier League rivals Tottenham in Madrid.
The Reds' victory, courtesy of a Mohamed Salah penalty awarded in the first minute and converted in the second, plus a late Divock Origi effort, not only exorcises the demons of last season's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in Kyiv but also ends Jürgen Klopp's run of six successive club final defeats.
It gets sweeter still for Salah. His delight – or was it relief? – at converting from the spot after Moussa Sissoko was penalised for handball after just 24 seconds was no doubt magnified by the fact he was forced off injured in the Ukrainian capital last year.
Salah's strike was not the start of a customary deluge from Liverpool, though, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson going closest to doubling their lead with shots from distance later in the half. Heung-Min Son twice ran in behind for Spurs, but the north London club failed to engineer any clear openings of their own.
Then, much like buses in the city they call home, three came along all at once; Dele Alli headed over, before Son and then Lucas Moura were denied by Alisson Becker. Substitute James Milner had gone close to adding to Liverpool's lead by that point, but it was left to fellow replacement Origi to finish the job with a precise low effort three minutes from time.
Man of the match: Virgil van Dijk
As commanding as he has been ever since moving to Anfield in January 2018; another colossal performance from the Dutchman. Thomas Schaaf, leader of the UEFA Technical Observers in Madrid, said: "Van Dijk showed outstanding leadership and was Liverpool's best defender. He made crucial interventions when needed and played with a cool head throughout."
View from the stadium
Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
This was far from vintage Liverpool, who struggled to keep possession for large periods of a nervous contest. Spurs, despite their best efforts, failed to capitalise on some promising situations in the final third as the Reds held their nerve to get over their 2018 heartbreak. A sixth European Cup is the least the club deserves after a quite remarkable campaign at home and on the continent.
Spurs will depart their first UEFA Champions League final perhaps harbouring a few regrets. Mauricio Pochettino's side were not quite as precise as usual against a Liverpool side that did its level best to disrupt the midfield. There were chances, but ultimately Spurs did not play with the freedom that has characterised what has nevertheless been a memorable run.
Reaction
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager
I don't want to explain why we won it; I only want to enjoy that we won it. We'll celebrate together, we'll have a sensational night. I feel mostly relief, relief for my family. The last six times we flew on holiday with only a silver medal it didn't feel too cool.
Jürgen Klopp on Liverpool's Madrid glory
We were all crying on the pitch because it means so much to us. It wasn't important for me to touch the cup; I loved seeing the boys having it and seeing some faces in the crowd. Going to Liverpool tomorrow with something to celebrate is big and I'm really looking forward to that.
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham manager
Now it's impossible to talk – we're all very disappointed, but I feel so proud of my players. Finals are about winning, not about playing well; it's not tactics. I want to congratulate Liverpool, Klopp, the players, the club and the fans because they've had an amazing season. They were fantastic. It's so painful, but we need to keep going.
Key stats
2: Salah's goal was the second fastest in a final after Paolo Maldini's effort 51 seconds into the 2005 decider.
5: A substitute has scored in five of the last six finals: Marcelo (2014), Yannick Carrasco (2016), Marco Asensio (2017), Gareth Bale (2018) and now Origi.
6: Liverpool's sixth European Cup means they go third on their own on the all-time honours board, behind only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (7).
6: Klopp's run of six successive final defeats, including three with Liverpool, stretched back to Borussia Dortmund's 2013 UEFA Champions League final loss to Bayern.
13: England now has 13 European Cups, clear in second place behind Spain (18) and ahead of Italy (12).
17: Klopp is the 17th coach to win the UEFA Champions League.
20: Of the 26 UEFA Champions League finals that have yielded a goal, 20 have been won by the team scoring first. Only 2003 ended goalless.
FFXIV: Hala Elio! Y Nada Mas!
#FFXIV #s_witch #w_witch #HalaMadrid #HalaMadridYNadaMas #UCL #Crossover #GeorgetteLemare
Real Madrid: 2017-18 UEFA Champions League Winners
Gareth Bale scored twice off the bench as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in Kyiv to become European champions for the 13th time.
Bale's first was an 'I-was-there' goal, one to rival Zinédine Zidane, Mario Mandžukić and any other you care to name as the best in final history. Marcelo's cross from the left looked harmless enough, but the Welshman, 20 metres out, somehow contorted his body to hook the ball over his head with enough power that it fizzed past Loris Karius.
Madrid's dressing room celebrations
Quite the contrast to Madrid's opener on 51 minutes, when Karius attempted to roll the ball out to a team-mate only for Benzema to stick out a hopeful leg which turned out to be a goalscoring interception.
Isco had been denied by the crossbar shortly prior to that, but Liverpool – creaking ever since the talismanic Mohamed Salah had been forced off with a shoulder problem in the first half – were quick to dust themselves down after going behind. Indeed they were level just four minutes later, Dejan Lovren's towering header from a corner poked in by Sadio Mané at the back post.
That was as good as it got for the Reds, though, Bale almost single-handedly turning the tide back in Madrid's direction after coming on just past the hour. He struck his second with seven minutes left, a long-range shot that somehow squirted through Karius's palms, and – after Mané had struck a post at the other end – almost added a third when clean through moments later. Madrid and Zidane had already wrapped up their very own hat-tricks by then, though.
Man of the match: Gareth Bale
Bale: That goal is a dream come true
What an impact. He only got 13 minutes as a substitute in Cardiff last year, but had a far more telling role to play during his half-hour this time round. That first goal really was one for the ages. Peter Rudbæk, speaking on behalf of the UEFA technical observers, said: "The observers chose Bale due to his game-changing display off the bench and his outstanding acrobatic goal to put his team ahead."
Reporters' views
Joe Walker, Real Madrid (@UEFAcomJoeW)
There's a saying in Spain: 'El Madrid es el Madrid'. They are Madrid and they just get things done, no matter the situation. Tonight they were the better team and were able to take full advantage of the chances that came their way. Three in a row, Zidane absolutely got it spot on, and you wouldn't bet against a fourth next year either.
Salah's exit proved to be a decisive moment
Salah's exit proved to be a decisive moment
©Getty Images
Matt Howarth, Liverpool (@UEFAcomMattH)
Klopp's troops burst out of the traps and forced Navas into several good saves, but Salah's early departure proved to be the turning point. Liverpool players were inconsolable at full time, needless to say, but once the pain of defeat subsides they can look back with immense pride at their achievements in the competition this term.
Reaction
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid coach
Our achievement tonight is the most important thing – we have to congratulate the players because it's not at all easy to do this. There are no words to describe this. The amazing thing about this squad is that they don't have a ceiling. They are hungry for more and they've demonstrated that today.
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager
Congratulations to Real Madrid. [Salah's departure] was a big moment in the game. It was unlucky that he fell on his shoulder and it's a serious injury. We'll never know what would have happened if he'd played on. The shock was obvious and we dropped too deep. [Bale] was very decisive – the bicycle kick was an unbelievable goal.
Key stats
- Madrid are the first team to win three in a row since Bayern in the 1970s
- Zidane is the first coach to win the competition three seasons running
- Ronaldo first player to win five UEFA Champions League titles
- Bale is the seventh player to score twice in a UEFA Champions League final
- He is the first to find the net twice after coming on as a substitute
Live Blog: 2018 UEFA Champions League Final
Real Madrid and Liverpool battle it out in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final, Europe's premier club competition finale, live from Kiev, Ukraine. Live blog begins at 8 a.m. UTC -8 and starts with a live look at the EFL Promotion Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium between Fulham and Aston Villa.
UCL: A Monologue To PSG Manager Unai Emery
This was originally meant to be published by The Stoppage Time. Since this was not published, I am posting it here and also on Tumblr.
The fans depart, the teams depart, and the only ones in the stadium are the janitors cleaning the stands and the lights still being on. I enter the Parc des Princes pitch, still strewn with debris from the rage of the home fans, and in my hands is a bottle of Normandy cider. No wine or champagne tonight, the outcome dictates none of those drinks. Just cider. And a young local, a PSG youth academy product of 14 years, accompanies me on the field like youngsters accompany the heroes on the pitch during classic battles.
I tell the young lad, hold my cider, and he does. With this, I begin addressing the audience of a few grounds staff in practice but in reality, a certain fallen individual.
So the full time score reads, to my right: Paris 4, Real Madrid 2. Aggregate scoreline 5-5, Real Madrid advance to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on away goals 2-1. Based on this result, Unai Emery Etxegoien of Hondarribia, Spain, I, Jo-Ryan Salazar of Los Angeles, California and The Stoppage Time, welcome you with open arms, open hearts and open minds...to the beginning of the end of your managerial career with the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club of the 16th Arrondissement of Paris, France, with its administrative center based in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines.
I know, I know, you only saw me once, and that was at a prematch press conference for the International Champions Cup at StubHub Center in Carson, ahead of a 4-0 hammering of the Cinderellas of the Premier League, Leicester City Football Club, who are still hanging around (thankfully) in England's top flight. But that was two years ago. Ages ago. An eternity ago. Times have changed. And so I shall slowly walk the perimeter of this recovering pitch in my own pseudo-lap of honor to continue this spiel.
So why do I cover this team? Why do I follow, as my main European club, Paris Saint-Germain, a club that has never been relegated from Ligue 1 for nearly a half century and has won more trophies than any other club in French club football? I could be scrutinizing other clubs, like Chelsea (my main team in the Premier League), Juventus (the gold standard of Serie A), Bayern Munich (my main team in the Bundesliga)...heck, I could be ripping apart Brendan Rogers's tenure at Celtic in what is a similarly future European exercise. Celtic are my main team in Scotland.
First off, as mentioned, they have more silverware across all competitions than any other team in French club football. Secondly, PSG are meant to be an extension of one of the most influential cities in the world, Paris, a beacon of hope for the world's finest people, the French. PSG is the Finest People's Ally and it is up to the Rouge et Bleu to win not just for Paris but for all of France. A defeat of this magnitude to Paris Saint-Germain is a defeat for Ligue 1 and the entire French Republic. It is not meant to be trivialized.
Finally, Paris is a city built by skilled workers who honestly mastered their craft and leave an indelible impression. Like any self-respecting city, Paris demands that it hires reputable established employees. There are no fakers or fake news meant to be milling about in a genuine metropole like Paris, at least one would imagine.
Unai, I have been monitoring your body of work these past two seasons. You came into the 2016-17 campaign as a passenger and a hack with an unproven reputation, and you will exit the 2017-18 campaign the same way you came. A passenger. A hack. One who misused and mismanaged the big money signings, the talent, the names, and have actually allowed PSG to regress from their quarterfinal exits in the UEFA Champions League under Laurent Blanc. The French have a term for this: honteaux. Disgrace. In Spanish, that's verguenza or fracaso.
The handling of Kylian Mbappe's injury against Toulouse FC was scandalous in its own right, but nothing can compare to the way you treated Hatem Ben Arfa. Here was a player that could only do training and was ready to be called up but never got to play a minute in this last year of his contract because you did not let him. Hatem is Parisian through and through, like Lassana Diarra and Kylian Mbappe and others on PSG's first team. To only allow Hatem to take part in training and nothing else is damaging to his career. You forced him to be a passenger and by not allowing everyone to play this season, it has added to the case that you are not qualified to manage this group of playes.
As an aside, Neymar Santos Jr. realized that the pitch of Le Parc des Princes has a soul, and it chose to keep him in line as it was tired of the Brazilian king not respecting French club football. And so he is out for the remainder of the season, recovering from a broken foot after landing awkwardly on one of his ankles in a Ligue 1 duel against Marseille, who PSG dismissed on back-to-back 3-0 scorelines. That was not your fault, Unai, but just so you know, this stadium does have a soul, vibes, an aura, and it must be respected and paid hommage to.
That leads us to the next point, where does Paris Saint-Germain go from here as the endgame is now in full swing in the City of Light? Nasser Al-Khelaifi will undoubtedly allow you to finish the season, granted that no future cup ties end in defeat and very few draws or losses are incurred in Ligue 1. The only other opposition that stands a chance of defeating you is AS Monaco and they're already been out of European competition since Christmas. But even if Paris run the tables the rest of the way and win out, it does not change a single thing.
Unai Emery, Paris Saint-Germain is not to be managed by passengers or hacks. It needs proven names to keep the vein of silverwear going while getting over the Champions League hump that is the knockout rounds. Perhaps a future job awaits you in the lower leagues of Spain, or maybe a job analyzing or commenting on the game fits your fancy. But I cannot vouch for you anymore as the Parisians have regressed in European competition and you have wasted your oppotunity to harness the power of Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. This club is a straightforward club to play for as a player, but a documented challenge as a manager, and you failed in this challenge.
I now complete my pseudo-lap of honor. This is where we have to say goodbye, Unai Emery, even though you will still undoubtedly be the gaffer, at least in name only, for the rest of the season. Your only legacy will have been the domestic trophies won at Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. But the true legacy are your eliminations to La Liga's power duo of FC Barcelona and the masters, the European and World Champions, the gold standard of the Real Madrid Club de Futbol of Madrid, Spain.
Adieu, addio, adios amigo. And make sure the door smacks you hard in the derriere on the way out. You will not be missed. Because even through these darkest of days, this is Paris, and Paris will always be magical. And with that, I retrieve my cider and make my exit from Le Parc des Princes into the cold, dark Parisian night.
The fans depart, the teams depart, and the only ones in the stadium are the janitors cleaning the stands and the lights still being on. I enter the Parc des Princes pitch, still strewn with debris from the rage of the home fans, and in my hands is a bottle of Normandy cider. No wine or champagne tonight, the outcome dictates none of those drinks. Just cider. And a young local, a PSG youth academy product of 14 years, accompanies me on the field like youngsters accompany the heroes on the pitch during classic battles.
I tell the young lad, hold my cider, and he does. With this, I begin addressing the audience of a few grounds staff in practice but in reality, a certain fallen individual.
So the full time score reads, to my right: Paris 4, Real Madrid 2. Aggregate scoreline 5-5, Real Madrid advance to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on away goals 2-1. Based on this result, Unai Emery Etxegoien of Hondarribia, Spain, I, Jo-Ryan Salazar of Los Angeles, California and The Stoppage Time, welcome you with open arms, open hearts and open minds...to the beginning of the end of your managerial career with the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club of the 16th Arrondissement of Paris, France, with its administrative center based in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines.
I know, I know, you only saw me once, and that was at a prematch press conference for the International Champions Cup at StubHub Center in Carson, ahead of a 4-0 hammering of the Cinderellas of the Premier League, Leicester City Football Club, who are still hanging around (thankfully) in England's top flight. But that was two years ago. Ages ago. An eternity ago. Times have changed. And so I shall slowly walk the perimeter of this recovering pitch in my own pseudo-lap of honor to continue this spiel.
So why do I cover this team? Why do I follow, as my main European club, Paris Saint-Germain, a club that has never been relegated from Ligue 1 for nearly a half century and has won more trophies than any other club in French club football? I could be scrutinizing other clubs, like Chelsea (my main team in the Premier League), Juventus (the gold standard of Serie A), Bayern Munich (my main team in the Bundesliga)...heck, I could be ripping apart Brendan Rogers's tenure at Celtic in what is a similarly future European exercise. Celtic are my main team in Scotland.
First off, as mentioned, they have more silverware across all competitions than any other team in French club football. Secondly, PSG are meant to be an extension of one of the most influential cities in the world, Paris, a beacon of hope for the world's finest people, the French. PSG is the Finest People's Ally and it is up to the Rouge et Bleu to win not just for Paris but for all of France. A defeat of this magnitude to Paris Saint-Germain is a defeat for Ligue 1 and the entire French Republic. It is not meant to be trivialized.
Finally, Paris is a city built by skilled workers who honestly mastered their craft and leave an indelible impression. Like any self-respecting city, Paris demands that it hires reputable established employees. There are no fakers or fake news meant to be milling about in a genuine metropole like Paris, at least one would imagine.
Unai, I have been monitoring your body of work these past two seasons. You came into the 2016-17 campaign as a passenger and a hack with an unproven reputation, and you will exit the 2017-18 campaign the same way you came. A passenger. A hack. One who misused and mismanaged the big money signings, the talent, the names, and have actually allowed PSG to regress from their quarterfinal exits in the UEFA Champions League under Laurent Blanc. The French have a term for this: honteaux. Disgrace. In Spanish, that's verguenza or fracaso.
The handling of Kylian Mbappe's injury against Toulouse FC was scandalous in its own right, but nothing can compare to the way you treated Hatem Ben Arfa. Here was a player that could only do training and was ready to be called up but never got to play a minute in this last year of his contract because you did not let him. Hatem is Parisian through and through, like Lassana Diarra and Kylian Mbappe and others on PSG's first team. To only allow Hatem to take part in training and nothing else is damaging to his career. You forced him to be a passenger and by not allowing everyone to play this season, it has added to the case that you are not qualified to manage this group of playes.
As an aside, Neymar Santos Jr. realized that the pitch of Le Parc des Princes has a soul, and it chose to keep him in line as it was tired of the Brazilian king not respecting French club football. And so he is out for the remainder of the season, recovering from a broken foot after landing awkwardly on one of his ankles in a Ligue 1 duel against Marseille, who PSG dismissed on back-to-back 3-0 scorelines. That was not your fault, Unai, but just so you know, this stadium does have a soul, vibes, an aura, and it must be respected and paid hommage to.
That leads us to the next point, where does Paris Saint-Germain go from here as the endgame is now in full swing in the City of Light? Nasser Al-Khelaifi will undoubtedly allow you to finish the season, granted that no future cup ties end in defeat and very few draws or losses are incurred in Ligue 1. The only other opposition that stands a chance of defeating you is AS Monaco and they're already been out of European competition since Christmas. But even if Paris run the tables the rest of the way and win out, it does not change a single thing.
Unai Emery, Paris Saint-Germain is not to be managed by passengers or hacks. It needs proven names to keep the vein of silverwear going while getting over the Champions League hump that is the knockout rounds. Perhaps a future job awaits you in the lower leagues of Spain, or maybe a job analyzing or commenting on the game fits your fancy. But I cannot vouch for you anymore as the Parisians have regressed in European competition and you have wasted your oppotunity to harness the power of Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. This club is a straightforward club to play for as a player, but a documented challenge as a manager, and you failed in this challenge.
I now complete my pseudo-lap of honor. This is where we have to say goodbye, Unai Emery, even though you will still undoubtedly be the gaffer, at least in name only, for the rest of the season. Your only legacy will have been the domestic trophies won at Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. But the true legacy are your eliminations to La Liga's power duo of FC Barcelona and the masters, the European and World Champions, the gold standard of the Real Madrid Club de Futbol of Madrid, Spain.
Adieu, addio, adios amigo. And make sure the door smacks you hard in the derriere on the way out. You will not be missed. Because even through these darkest of days, this is Paris, and Paris will always be magical. And with that, I retrieve my cider and make my exit from Le Parc des Princes into the cold, dark Parisian night.
2017-18 UEFA Champions League Wallpapers Out Now!
The 2017-18 UEFA Champions League Wallpaper Pack is out now. For 1920 x 1080 monitors minimum.
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