Champions League: Winner of blockbuster PSG-Bayern sequel to face Arsenal or Atletico in final
Now for the encore, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Two teams which produced a 5-4 instant classic last week will take center stage on Wednesday for the second act of their Champions League semifinal. The return game in Munich surely cannot reach the same height of drama as the waves of finessed attacks — and overwhelmed defenses — reached in Paris.
Still, coaches Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany will aim for the stars. “More, even more,” Kompany said in Paris, when asked about his main message to Bayern's players for the decisive second leg. Arsenal hosts Atletico Madrid on Tuesday with the score 1-1 .
The rewards for a semifinal victory are a place in the final on May 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Stellar semifinals Champions League semifinals are often more memorable than the title matches. One year ago, an exciting Inter Milan-Barcelona contest was widely praised like the PSG-Bayern opener has been.
A 3-3 first leg in Barcelona was just an appetizer for Inter’s roller coaster 4-3 win in extra time at San Siro. In 2022, Real Madrid somehow rallied in stoppage time of the second leg to deny Manchester City victory. Two Rodrygo goals forced extra time that was settled by Karim Benzema’s penalty for a 3-1 win.
The wild first leg had finished 4-3 to City in Manchester. A vintage knockout phase in 2019 was capped by astonishing comebacks on back-to-back nights in the semifinal second legs by Liverpool against Barcelona and Tottenham at Ajax. It is perhaps eight years since a truly compelling back-and-forth final, when substitute Gareth Bale’s goals — the first an iconic bicycle kick — lifted Madrid to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kyiv.