Paris Saint-Germain secured their place in the Champions League final after a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, winning the semi-final tie 6-5 on aggregate. Ousmane Dembele's early goal gave the visitors a crucial advantage, and despite a late strike from Harry Kane, the French side held on to book a showdown with Arsenal in Budapest on 30 May.
A week after a breathtaking first leg in Paris that ended 5-4 in favour of the European champions, this return fixture was a more measured affair. Dembele opened the scoring in the third minute, racing onto a pull-back from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to hammer the ball into the roof of the net, putting PSG two goals ahead on aggregate.
Bayern were incensed midway through the half when a penalty claim was waved away after Joao Neves’s arm made contact with the ball from a clearance by teammate Vitinha. The referee deemed it not handball as the clearance came from another PSG player. Manuel Neuer then produced a series of fine saves to keep Bayern alive, tipping a header from Neves and later denying efforts from Desire Doue and Kvaratskhelia.
The hosts pushed for a way back into the tie, with Luis Diaz forcing a save from Matvei Safonov, but PSG remained the more dangerous side. Doue blasted inches wide with Neuer beaten, and Kvaratskhelia squandered a golden opportunity when he missed his kick after bursting through the defence. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Kane finally found space inside the box to lash a finish into the net, but it was too little, too late for Bayern.
Luis Enrique’s side will now face Arsenal in the final, having weathered a late storm to confirm their status as the team to beat in Europe this season.
