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DPA
Lisbon
Paris Saint-Germain were on fire on Tuesday as they crushed RB Leipzig 3-0 to reach the Champions League final for the first time.
Angel di Maria scored once and set up the other goals from Marquinhos and Juan Bernat as the star-studded Parisians tormented Leipzig’s defence with their attacking might led by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe who were also outstanding on the night.
The French champions were far less troubled by inexperienced Leipzig behind closed doors at the Estadio da Luz than they were in the quarter-finals where they had trailed Atalanta until the 90th minute before winning 2-1.
PSG have amassed 40 French titles and the 1996 European Cup Winners Cup title but Champions League success has been their top priority ever since they came under Qatari ownership in 2011 and hundreds of millions were invested to fulfil this ambition.
There were many failures over the years after a first semi-final berth in 1995 but now it all came together as they became only the fifth French league team to reach the final of the elite event – with the lone title coming from Olympique Marseille in 1993.
PSG will return to the Estadio da Luz on Sunday to meet Olympique Lyon or Bayern Munich who contest the other French-German semi-final on Wednesday.
Mbappe returned into the starting 11 of Thomas Tuchel’s team from an ankle injury after being only used as a sub against Atalanta, and di Maria was back from suspension as they replaced Marco Icardi and Pablo Sarabia.
Sergio Rico meanwhile deputised in goal for injured Keylor Navas and Leandro Paredes came on for not fully fit Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann made just one change compared to the surprise 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, with Nordi Mukiele in for Marcel Halstenberg in defence.
PSG were in command right away, with Neymar denied by the outside right post in the sixth after a perfect through-ball from Mbappe and a minute later a goal not given because a bad clearance from goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had hit Neymar’s arm before falling to Mbappe to hit into the net.
The favourites broke the deadlock in the 13th when Marquinhos was left unmarked to head home di Maria’s free-kick from the left into the far corner.
Leipzig, playing only their second Champions League campaign, finally made their presence felt, with Marcel Sabitzer’s free-kick deflected over the bar and captain Yussuf Poulsen firing just wide.
But on the other end Neymar almost surprised the Germans when he didn’t cross a free-kick from way out on the right into the penalty area as expected but tried his luck direct and was denied again by the outside right post.
PSG threatened with almost every attack and got their second in the 41st. Another poor clearance from Gulacsi ended up with Paredes who instantly fed Neymar in the area and the Brazilian flicked the ball on with his heel for di Maria to slot into the bottom right corner.
Neymar aimed inches right on another top opportunity but the third eventually came the 56th when Mukiele slipped and di Maria crossed to the diminutive Bernat whose glancing header went into the far right corner.
Mpabbe headed wide and had a shot saved by Gulacsi as PSG comfortably cruised home to move within one victory of the trophy they want to lift so badly.
Lisbon
Paris Saint-Germain were on fire on Tuesday as they crushed RB Leipzig 3-0 to reach the Champions League final for the first time.
Angel di Maria scored once and set up the other goals from Marquinhos and Juan Bernat as the star-studded Parisians tormented Leipzig’s defence with their attacking might led by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe who were also outstanding on the night.
The French champions were far less troubled by inexperienced Leipzig behind closed doors at the Estadio da Luz than they were in the quarter-finals where they had trailed Atalanta until the 90th minute before winning 2-1.
PSG have amassed 40 French titles and the 1996 European Cup Winners Cup title but Champions League success has been their top priority ever since they came under Qatari ownership in 2011 and hundreds of millions were invested to fulfil this ambition.
There were many failures over the years after a first semi-final berth in 1995 but now it all came together as they became only the fifth French league team to reach the final of the elite event – with the lone title coming from Olympique Marseille in 1993.
PSG will return to the Estadio da Luz on Sunday to meet Olympique Lyon or Bayern Munich who contest the other French-German semi-final on Wednesday.
Mbappe returned into the starting 11 of Thomas Tuchel’s team from an ankle injury after being only used as a sub against Atalanta, and di Maria was back from suspension as they replaced Marco Icardi and Pablo Sarabia.
Sergio Rico meanwhile deputised in goal for injured Keylor Navas and Leandro Paredes came on for not fully fit Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann made just one change compared to the surprise 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, with Nordi Mukiele in for Marcel Halstenberg in defence.
PSG were in command right away, with Neymar denied by the outside right post in the sixth after a perfect through-ball from Mbappe and a minute later a goal not given because a bad clearance from goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had hit Neymar’s arm before falling to Mbappe to hit into the net.
The favourites broke the deadlock in the 13th when Marquinhos was left unmarked to head home di Maria’s free-kick from the left into the far corner.
Leipzig, playing only their second Champions League campaign, finally made their presence felt, with Marcel Sabitzer’s free-kick deflected over the bar and captain Yussuf Poulsen firing just wide.
But on the other end Neymar almost surprised the Germans when he didn’t cross a free-kick from way out on the right into the penalty area as expected but tried his luck direct and was denied again by the outside right post.
PSG threatened with almost every attack and got their second in the 41st. Another poor clearance from Gulacsi ended up with Paredes who instantly fed Neymar in the area and the Brazilian flicked the ball on with his heel for di Maria to slot into the bottom right corner.
Neymar aimed inches right on another top opportunity but the third eventually came the 56th when Mukiele slipped and di Maria crossed to the diminutive Bernat whose glancing header went into the far right corner.
Mpabbe headed wide and had a shot saved by Gulacsi as PSG comfortably cruised home to move within one victory of the trophy they want to lift so badly.
