The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final is set.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal 2-1 in Wednesday’s semifinal second leg to advance, 3-1 on aggregate, to Europe’s title match on May 31 against Inter Milan in Munich.
PSG, which won the first leg of the home-and-home, total-goals-wins series 1-0 last week at Emirates Stadium in London, doubled its advantage in the first half of the rematch at the Parc des Princes in France’s glittering capital.
Fabian Ruiz scored what turned out to be the series winner on a blistering volley 27 minutes into the Wednesday contest. Achraf Hakimi added another for the hosts in the second half before Bukayo Saka finally pulled one back for the Gunners. That was as close as Arsenal got, though.
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Here’s how Wednesday’s action unfolded.
Play of the game
Ruiz’s strike marked the first career Champions League goal for the Spanish midfielder. For the 29-year-old, it was worth the wait:
Turning point
Wednesday’s result — and possibly the outcome of the series overall — could’ve been far different had PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma not made a pair of top-shelf saves shortly after kickoff.
Forced to chase the game following last week’s loss at home, Arsenal came out guns blazing in Paris. First, striker Gabriel Martinelli got on the end of a fourth-minute throw-in from Thomas Partey, only for Donnarumma to deny Martinelli’s left-footed shot from point-blank range.
Less than three minutes later, the 6-foot-5 Italian backstop made another all-world stop, this time on Martin Ødegaard’s goal-bound effort through traffic that Donnarumma somehow turned around his post:
Key stat
Need more proof that the numbers mean little in soccer? Consider that Arsenal dominated both the ball (the visitors had 55% of possession) and the shot share (19-11 overall) on Wednesday. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they were second-best when it came to the scoresheet — the only metric that actually matters.
What’s next for Arsenal?
They’ll have to wait at least another year to hoist a trophy.
After the Gunners trounced defending champion Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, the title felt very much in reach. Those hopes took a severe hit with last week’s loss, and sure enough that result came back to haunt Mikel Arteta’s side.
Still, Arsenal took another step forward this season, reaching the last four of the world’s top club competition for the first time since 2009. Arteta’s squad is also set to finish second in the Premier League for the third consecutive season; they’re four points clear of third-place Manchester City with three matches to go, starting with Saturday’s trip to champions Liverpool.
What’s next for Paris Saint-Germain?
Just the second trip to the Champions League final in club history. The last time PSG made it that far was five years ago, when they lost to Bayern Munich with superstars Kylian Mbappé and Neymar serving as the faces of the team.
Filled with hungry youngsters who have yet to become household names, the construction of Luis Enrique’s current squad is far different. But they play together. Winning it all won’t be easy. Inter, the runner-up to Man City two years ago, will have the clear experience edge at the Allianz Arena.
Yet after dispatching Liverpool in the round of 16 and then Arsenal in the semis, there’s no reason why the Parisians should fear the Nerazzurri. The bookies apparently agree: PSG is the early favorite to prevail. They’ve earned the right to play for that long-coveted European crown later this month, and only a fool would bet against them now.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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