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Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique believes his side fully earned their place in the UEFA Champions League final after overcoming Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Speaking after PSG’s 2-1 win in the second leg in Paris on Wednesday, the Spanish coach acknowledged the difficulty of the match but stressed the importance of his team’s superior goal tally over the two legs.
“We scored more than they did, and that’s what matters in football,” Enrique said. “But Arsenal gave us a tough match, and we really had to dig deep.”
Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave the French champions a commanding lead before Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka pulled one back. Despite Vitinha missing a penalty, PSG held firm thanks to key saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, however, argued that his team had been superior across both matches.
Luis Enrique admitted it was the most difficult game PSG had faced in this year’s competition, but emphasised that his team deserved their spot in the final.
PSG, who previously eliminated Premier League teams Liverpool and Aston Villa, will now meet Inter Milan in the final in Munich on 31 May. Their road to the final came after a rocky start in the group stage, where they lost three of five matches and finished 15th in the 36-team standings — eight points adrift of group leaders Liverpool.
Despite this, Enrique maintained that PSG were among the best sides statistically and that the challenging group phase helped them grow stronger.
“We were one of the top teams in terms of performance, and once we became more efficient in front of goal, we’ve proven our worth in the knockout rounds,” he said.
This will be PSG’s second appearance in a Champions League final, the first being their 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020. Reflecting on his time at the club, Enrique said: “From the very first day, our mission has been to make history. Now we’re closer than ever to bringing this much-desired trophy home.”
