Charles Jackson
Paris Saint-Germain will play their fourth UEFA Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, but this will be just their third in two legs and their first in front of a packed Parc des Princes since their 1-0 home defeat to Milan. at the end of the match. 1994-95 edition, followed by success in the 1996 European Cup Winners’ Cup. Borussia Dortmund lead 1-0 in last week’s opening game in Germany and now the Parisians have brought him back to the French capital in the hope of riding a wave of home support to overcome the Bundesliga side and reach the final at Wembley Stadium next month. As always, you can catch all the Champions League action on CBS, Paramount+, CBS Sports Networkand CBS Sports Golazo Network.
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“We know how important it is to play at home and in front of our fans with our energy. The fans can change the game and that will help give us the motivation and energy we need. Paris has a passion for football and I know we will feel that again here,” said captain Marquinhos before the game. Coach Luis Enrique then added: “I believe the fans will play a key role. We have an absolute guarantee that our fans will support us as they have all season – especially when we need them. I’m looking forward to experiencing this Parc des Princes atmosphere that we all know and love, hopefully we can celebrate qualification with them.”
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The Parc des Princes has seen some historic encounters over the years, but this has the potential to be the biggest game of all time given the possible ramifications a second final in four years could have for the Qatari-backed side. Giants of Ligue 1. This in a place that, although it is the spiritual home of PSG, could be left behind in the coming years, as a dispute with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, reached a point of almost no return for the club. capital, which saw multiple acquisition offers rejected.
As elaborate tifos against the likes of Barcelona in the quarter-finals and Milan in the group stage this season showed, PSG fans love a big game and creating an atmosphere that suits the occasion and lives long in the memory – this is certainly another opportunity for that. CBS Sports understands that preparations have been underway since the 4-1 victory in Catalonia, which completed a heroic 6-4 victory, with between 50 and 200 fans working long night shifts in two separate locations to prepare their gear and 47 different fan clubs from all over the world set to be represented in the game.
“I’ve never seen fans like this before – they’re unique.” said PSG coach Luis Enrique earlier this semester. “When we concede a goal, they stay together and support us. This is something you don’t see in other stadiums.” It is also something that PSG have been able to share with their fans at such an advanced stage of the Champions League under Qatari ownership, as the 2020 final took place behind closed doors in Portugal and the 2021 semi-finals against the losing finalists. City of Manchester both took place in empty stadiums and denied the club two big chances.
Competitively, however, this is not new territory for the club. PSG trailed Dortmund by a goal in the 2019-20 round of 16 when the Germans led 2-1 in the opening match after a Erling Haaland doubled, only for the home team to pick up a 2-0 home win that secured a place in the quarter-finals just before COVID hit. Paris emerged on the other side to progress to the final, but it is the image of the players celebrating their triumph with fans in the streets outside that remains the lasting image of it.
Trailing again by a goal, with Niclas Fullkrug’s goal in the first leg, which even recalls in style Haaland’s famous finish at Signal Iduna Park, there was no controversial meeting between the Parisian team between games like there was four years ago. However, a repeat of the 2-0 result in the second leg would be enough to guarantee PSG a final place against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, in what should be Kylian Mbappe’s last game with the capital club.
Will this set a standard that is almost impossible to surpass during PSG’s remaining indefinite time playing at the Parc des Princes? That remains to be seen. but one thing is certain is that the home fans will play their part as Dortmund’s Yellow Wall and the Westfalenstadion faithful did last week. The players, however, also have an important role and will be given the best and most positive conditions to obtain the necessary result to reach the final.
