PSG remain a level below the elite. They have lost all four legs of their two-legged Champions League semis in the QSI era, against Manchester City in 2020-21 and now Dortmund in 2023-24.
This failure will particularly sting, having failed to score against the fifth-placed side in the Bundesliga despite having 44 shots in two games. It’s the highest number of shots a team has had without scoring in a two-legged Champions League tie since Opta records began in 2003-04.
They hit the post six times in the tie, including four times in the second half in Paris. Warren Zaire-Emery was punished for contriving to strike the post with the goal gaping as Mats Hummels arrowed in a towering header to score for Dortmund shortly after.
Nuno Mendes hit the woodwork from distance, before both Mbappe and Vitinha struck the bar in the final minutes.
It’s all yet another example of PSG lacking quality when it matters most in the Champions League, with their biggest names – Mbappe, in this case – failing to deliver when it counts.
“You have to give Dortmund massive credit, they didn’t allow Mbappe to get one v one,” Ferdinand said.
“But the big players just usually find a moment.”
There are some positive signs for PSG. They have shown impressive fighting spirit to even get this far in the 2023-24 Champions League, not least in recovering from a 4-1 shellacking at Newcastle in the group stage.
A 98th-minute Mbappe penalty snatched a point in the reverse fixture against the Magpies, which proved decisive in earning them second place in Group F, behind Dortmund but ahead of AC Milan.
They then launched a remarkable second-leg comeback to beat Barcelona in the quarter-final, displaying a blend of silk and steel in the image of their manager Luis Enrique.
He is clearly making plans for the future. At 24 years and 157 days, PSG had the youngest starting XI for a Champions League semi-final match since Arsenal in their second leg against Manchester United in 2008-09.
“I’m happy from what I saw from my team,” Luis Enrique told his post-match media conference. “A real spirit. A team that gave everything.
“The supporters were incredible. I hope we have this togetherness going forward. Players that sweat for the shirt.”
A new era is dawning at PSG. Whether it can avoid the failures of the past remain to be seen.
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