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treva · 05-10-2020, 07:17 AM

Champions League SF 2nd Leg

PSG reach first ever Champions League final where they'll face Bayern Munich

PSG have finally reached a Champions League final after holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the semi final at the Parc des Princes.

The French giants have been striving for Europe's top prize ever since Qatari investors pumped millions into the club and they are now within touching distance after a nervy but successful night under the lights in Paris.

Barcelona needed to not only overturn a defeat from the first leg but also the fact that PSG had three away goals to their name, meaning unless they could match them they'd need to win by two clear goals.

The away side started positively as you would expect, driving forward in waves with PSG looking to hold onto their clean sheet for as long as possible. Lionel Messi came within inches of scoring a spectacular volley as the ball bounced off the inside of the post and across the goal mouth before being cleared by the PSG defence.

Keylor Navas, a familiar opponent for many of the Barcelona eleven, was at his very best to deny Messi and Arturo Vidal, keeping the scores level as the game headed into the latter stages.

However, the pressure finally told as Barcelona took the lead with 9 minutes to go. Vidal played a ball into Messi whose first time pass avoided the diving Idrissa Gueye and found Antoine Griezmann just outside the area. The French striker's vicious first time shot flew past the outstretched Navas and into the top corner to give Barcelona a lifeline.

With Barcelona now throwing everything at PSG to try and snatch a dramatic late winner, the hosts hit them on the counter. Neymar's pass to Edinson Cavani gave the striker a chance to shoot. His effort was blocked by Jordi Alba but the ball looped up into the air, tempting Marc-Andre ter Stegen to come for it. Neymar reacted too quickly for him, however, reaching the ball before the German goalkeeper to nod home the equaliser that would secure PSG's place in the final.

They will meet five-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich after they defeated Manchester City 2-1 in the second leg to go through 4-2 on aggregate.

The highlight of the four semi final matches came in the 24th minute at the Allianz Arena when Leon Goretzka scored an outrageous goal to open up Bayern's aggregate lead to 3-1. Serge Gnabry's right footed cross took a wicked deflection on its way into the box where Goretzka was waiting. Having to adjust his position with the flight of the ball now behind him, Goretzka unleashed a sublime overhead kick that was struck with so much power that it left Ederson with no chance in the City goal.

That had deflated the visiting side who were looking to claim their first Champions League final appearance themselves. When Rodri clattered through the back of Joshua Kimmich inside the area just four minutes before the break the dream was all but over for another year. Robert Lewandowski stepped up and smashed his penalty into the top corner to extend their lead.

There was at least one moment of joy for the travelling fans as Riyadh Mahrez pulled one back after the break to give City a glimmer of hope. David Silva's ball forward set Sergio Aguero free. Looking up he spotted Mahrez free at the back post and drilled a low cross hard across the face of the goal. Mahrez scuffed his first attempt, hitting it straight at a sprawling Manuel Neuer, but fortunately for him it fell back to him and he made no mistake with the second chance.

Despite that giving City a chance to get into the match, Bayern then controlled the match from that point onwards and limited City to just a handful of half chances.

Bayern and PSG have faced off just eight times in their history, with only two meetings since 2001. PSG lead the head-to-head 5-3 but have always favoured home soil, winning all of their matches at home against the German champions. The two clubs will meet at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on 30 May to crown the 2020 Champions League winners.

Goretzka's stunning overhead kick helped Bayern Munich book a place in the final

Results

Bayern Munich 2-1 Man City

Goretzka (24), Lewandowski (pen 41) - Mahrez (51)
Bayern Munich win 4-2 on aggregate

PSG 1-1 Barcelona

Neymar (87) - Griezmann (81)
PSG win 4-3 on aggregate

05-10-2020, 07:17 AM	#45
treva Rookie OVR: 0 Join Date: Jan 2011	Re: Finishing the 19/20 Season \| FM20/FIFA20 Champions League SF 2nd Leg PSG reach first ever Champions League final where they'll face Bayern Munich PSG have finally reached a Champions League final after holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the semi final at the Parc des Princes. The French giants have been striving for Europe's top prize ever since Qatari investors pumped millions into the club and they are now within touching distance after a nervy but successful night under the lights in Paris. Barcelona needed to not only overturn a defeat from the first leg but also the fact that PSG had three away goals to their name, meaning unless they could match them they'd need to win by two clear goals. The away side started positively as you would expect, driving forward in waves with PSG looking to hold onto their clean sheet for as long as possible. Lionel Messi came within inches of scoring a spectacular volley as the ball bounced off the inside of the post and across the goal mouth before being cleared by the PSG defence. Keylor Navas, a familiar opponent for many of the Barcelona eleven, was at his very best to deny Messi and Arturo Vidal, keeping the scores level as the game headed into the latter stages. However, the pressure finally told as Barcelona took the lead with 9 minutes to go. Vidal played a ball into Messi whose first time pass avoided the diving Idrissa Gueye and found Antoine Griezmann just outside the area. The French striker's vicious first time shot flew past the outstretched Navas and into the top corner to give Barcelona a lifeline. With Barcelona now throwing everything at PSG to try and snatch a dramatic late winner, the hosts hit them on the counter. Neymar's pass to Edinson Cavani gave the striker a chance to shoot. His effort was blocked by Jordi Alba but the ball looped up into the air, tempting Marc-Andre ter Stegen to come for it. Neymar reacted too quickly for him, however, reaching the ball before the German goalkeeper to nod home the equaliser that would secure PSG's place in the final. They will meet five-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich after they defeated Manchester City 2-1 in the second leg to go through 4-2 on aggregate. The highlight of the four semi final matches came in the 24th minute at the Allianz Arena when Leon Goretzka scored an outrageous goal to open up Bayern's aggregate lead to 3-1. Serge Gnabry's right footed cross took a wicked deflection on its way into the box where Goretzka was waiting. Having to adjust his position with the flight of the ball now behind him, Goretzka unleashed a sublime overhead kick that was struck with so much power that it left Ederson with no chance in the City goal. That had deflated the visiting side who were looking to claim their first Champions League final appearance themselves. When Rodri clattered through the back of Joshua Kimmich inside the area just four minutes before the break the dream was all but over for another year. Robert Lewandowski stepped up and smashed his penalty into the top corner to extend their lead. There was at least one moment of joy for the travelling fans as Riyadh Mahrez pulled one back after the break to give City a glimmer of hope. David Silva's ball forward set Sergio Aguero free. Looking up he spotted Mahrez free at the back post and drilled a low cross hard across the face of the goal. Mahrez scuffed his first attempt, hitting it straight at a sprawling Manuel Neuer, but fortunately for him it fell back to him and he made no mistake with the second chance. Despite that giving City a chance to get into the match, Bayern then controlled the match from that point onwards and limited City to just a handful of half chances. Bayern and PSG have faced off just eight times in their history, with only two meetings since 2001. PSG lead the head-to-head 5-3 but have always favoured home soil, winning all of their matches at home against the German champions. The two clubs will meet at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on 30 May to crown the 2020 Champions League winners. Goretzka's stunning overhead kick helped Bayern Munich book a place in the final Results Bayern Munich 2-1 Man City Goretzka (24), Lewandowski (pen 41) - Mahrez (51) Bayern Munich win 4-2 on aggregate PSG 1-1 Barcelona Neymar (87) - Griezmann (81) PSG win 4-3 on aggregate