On Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain go face Arsenal for Champions League final for Budapest, Hungary. Dis na big match, and we dey look back for history of Ligue 1 McDonald’s sides for European finals.
Back in August, PSG bring UCL title come home to Parc des Princes, become only second Ligue 1 McDonald’s side to win di prestigious trophy, after Olympique de Marseille, who never tire to dey recall, “A jamais les premiers”, forever di first.
E be for Parc dat a French club reach European final for first ever time. Na Reims, a powerhouse of French football for di 1950s, wey reach dat final. Dem face Spanish giants Real Madrid. Les Stadistes lose 4-3 for close encounter.
Dat set trend of disappointment for French clubs for European finals. Three years later, der be replay of di exact fixture, dis time for Stuttgart. E be di same result, wit Real Madrid getting di better of Reims.
New powers emerge for French football. For di 1970s, Saint-Étienne get dia shot at European glory. But dia dream shatter for Scotland by Bayern Munich. Di German side, wey don win previous two editions of di tournament before di game for Hampden Park, be di favourites, but Sainté hit di post two times for di match, wit many fans speculating dat di French side fit don win.
For French clubs, di feeling of curse creep in. Bastia be di next to try – and fail – for dia shot at European crown (against PSV for UEFA Cup). OM go be di next to take dia shot and miss dia first chance for 1991 (European Cup final against Red Star Belgrade), but dem take dia second chance two years later, and one year after Monaco slip up for Cup Winners’ Cup final against Werder Bremen.
Na Basile Boli wey cement im – and Marseille’s – place for history, wit im goal for Munich handing im side a slender win over AC Milan. E be for dat German city dat France’s next great triumph occur, but prior to dat, der go be more hurt.
PSG go succeed where Monaco fail, by winning di Cup Winners’ Cup for 1996, but der be defeats for Bordeaux (for UEFA Cup) for 1996, a PSG loss for Cup Winners’ Cup for 1997, losses for OM for UEFA Cup for 1999 and 2004, and a loss for Monaco for UCL for di same year, against José Mourinho’s Porto.
Les Phocéens go fall short against Atletico Madrid for Europa League for 2018 and PSG get dia shot at Europe’s premium prize wen dem face Bayern Munich for 2020. Just as dem do for di 70s, Bayern break French hearts wit a win by a single goal.
But PSG no go deny for long. Five years later, Les Parisiens go back to di scene of OM’s triumph and, to draw out di comparisons, face anoda team from Milan, dis time for di form of Internazionale.
Unlike OM, PSG completely blow dia opponents away, put in one of di most dominant appearances for any European final for history. Five goals and a five-star performance from Luis Enrique’s men, wey for di meantime win di Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur, go now look to retain dia UCL trophy for Hungary dis weekend.
