Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique says his side are “ready to make history” after the French champions booked their place in the Uefa Champions League final with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Arsenal on Wednesday night.
PSG claimed a 2-1 win in the second leg at Parc des Princes thanks to goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi, setting up a showdown with Inter Milan in the final in Munich on May 31. Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the visitors, while Vitinha missed a penalty that could have put the tie beyond doubt earlier.
Arsenal had chances to force a dramatic turnaround, with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma producing a string of vital saves to preserve his side’s advantage.
“It is the match in which we suffered the most [in the Champions League],” said Luis Enrique. “But we deserve to get to the final. Over the two legs we scored more goals than them, and in football that’s what counts. Arsenal played a great game, and we suffered a lot, but we showed our strength.”
It marks PSG’s second appearance in a Champions League final and their first since losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon in 2020. The Qatari-owned club, despite years of heavy investment, have so far fallen short of European glory.
Now, under the stewardship of the former Barcelona and Spain boss, they stand one win away from lifting club football’s most coveted prize for the first time.
“There is no logic in football, but the first day I was here I said the objective was to work towards being able to make history,” said Luis Enrique, who turns 55 on Thursday. “That is our objective – to be the first to win this so-desired trophy for PSG.”
The path to the final has been anything but straightforward. PSG lost three of their first five matches in the league phase of this season’s revamped Champions League, including a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal. They finished 15th out of 36 teams, eight points behind group leaders Liverpool.
But since reaching the knockout rounds, the French giants have grown in stature, eliminating Liverpool and Aston Villa in successive rounds before dispatching Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Luis Enrique defended his team’s early struggles, insisting their poor results masked a higher level of performance.
“In the league phase there is no doubt we deserved nine points more,” he said. “The fact we had such a difficult set of fixtures helped the team improve and grow. The statistics showed we were one of the best teams in Europe, and when we became more clinical, we showed that we deserve to be in the final.”
Despite the defeat, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he believed his side had performed better across both legs.
“We were the better team over the tie,” Arteta told reporters post-match. “But you have to take your chances and they did. Credit to PSG.”
For PSG, it is a chance to deliver on the promise that has long accompanied their lofty ambitions. For Luis Enrique, it is the opportunity to cement his legacy as the man who finally led the Parisians to European glory.
Inter Milan, however, stand in the way – and history awaits.
