Following a triumphant opener against Atalanta at the Parc des Princes (4–0), Paris Saint-Germain faced the first major challenge of their season on matchday two of the group stage: travelling to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys to take on FC Barcelona. Without captain Marquinhos and a host of key players - notably Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué - Luis Enrique was forced to draw on his tactical genius to try and halt the Catalan machine.
Despite Ferran Torres' opening the scoring, Les Rouge et Bleus never gave up, equalising through Senny Mayulu before half-time. In the dying stages of a thrilling second half, Gonçalo Ramos beat Wojciech Szczęsny to deliver Parisians everywhere (1–2) and send a powerful message to all their rivals on the continental stage.
Fresh from a home defeat to Bayern Munich, Paris hosted Tottenham on Matchday 5, a few months after their victory in the European Super Cup final. Les Rouge et Bleus were keen to bounce back, while the Londoners were looking to exact revenge and put themselves in a strong position in the race for direct qualification for the round of 16.
The result? An open contest between two ambitious sides who gave their all right up until the final whistle. Trailing on two occasions (0–1 then 1–2), the capital club were spurred on by their home crowd and an unstoppable Vitinha, who scored his first hat-trick in Parisian colours. In the end, Paris secured another hard-fought victory at their legendary arena (5–3).
Forced into the play-offs, Paris managed to see off Monaco, who played the role of spoilsport right to the very end (2–3, 2–2). Facing Chelsea in the round of 16, the capital club knew they had to make their mark in the first leg, as the return leg was scheduled to take place in London. Although the Blues held out for over an hour, it was once again Vitinha who saved the day at the Parc des Princes (74’, 3–2), with a further brace from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sending the Paris crowd into a frenzy right at the death.
As for the second leg, there was never any doubt about the outcome. Goals from the Georgian international and Bradley Barcola silenced Stamford Bridge within the first quarter of an hour, with Senny Mayulu rounding off Les Rouge et Bleus’ goal-fest on the hour mark (0–3).
Having knocked Liverpool out in the quarters, Paris Saint-Germain reached the semi-finals of the competition for the third consecutive season. To reach the final, however, Luis Enrique and his men had to overcome Bayern Munich. The night of 28 April will long be remembered, as Parisian fans were on the edge of their seats during one of the most spectacular matches of the season. Initially trailing and drawing level twice, the capital club pulled away thanks to Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé (58': 5–2), before the Bavarians reduced the deficit to just one goal ahead of the second leg.
At the Allianz Arena, the venue for the historic final against Inter Milan nearly a year earlier, the Parisians worked their magic once more. Ousmane Dembélé was ruthless, leading the way and putting his side ahead as early as the third minute. The home side’s equaliser in second-half stoppage time did nothing to alter the outcome of this clash of titans, and Paris were headed for a second successive Champions League final.
After Munich, it was Budapest’s turn to host Les Rouge et Bleus for this second consecutive final. Unsettled by how Mikel Arteta's men were appraoching the match, the Parisians found themselves with their backs against the wall for an hour.
However, having scored a brace against Liverpool in the quarter-finals and three goals across both legs against Bayern, Ousmane Dembélé once again lived up to his Ballon d’Or status and levelled the score from the penalty spot. The rest, of course, is history, with a second star secured following a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. Paris Saint-Germain did it. After the Allianz Arena, the Puskas Arena will forever hold some of the most cherished memories for Parisian supporters. Once is historic; twice is legendary.
