Say Maria is worth for a final

PSG has needed nine years since the arrival of AL-Khelaïfi to play their first Champions League final. The Parisians beat RB Leipzig by a resounding 3-0 and became the French first team after Monaco in 2004 to reach the final of the top European competition.

Tuchel was the first to move a piece in a tactical battle that was expected to be exciting. The PSG coach decided to seat Mauro Icardi to play with Neymar, Mbappé and Di María in attack. Leipzig is a team that pressures similar to Atalanta and the Argentine is a striker who suffers in contexts in which most of the game is spent outside the area. Paredes was the novelty in the center of the field and Sergio Rico took the leave of Keylor Navas. For his part, Nagelsmann practically repeated the 11 that beat Atlético, with Mukiele's novelty at the center of the rear.

If against Atalanta it was a restrained team, PSG came out onto the pitch with the personality of a team that wants to win the Champions League at all costs. Leipzig, who only understand football through possession, were overcome by suffocating pressure that soon paid off. If Neymar warned with a shot to the post in minute 5 after a wonderful pass from Mbappé, Marquinhos was in charge of opening the can with a header at the exit of a lateral foul that Ángel Di María bounced in an extraordinary way. The Argentine, sanctioned in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, again showed that he is essential for Thomas Tuchel.

And if that was not enough, PSG coach left Leipzig breathless after 1-0. Nagelsmann's men, unable to win a duel in midfield, had an approach after Laimer's arrival, but it was a mirage. If PSG had pressed spectacularly during the first 25 ', the second leg of the first half was one of appeasement. That is to say, the team was limited to accumulating very long possessions so that Leipzig fell into the trap. Neymar, intractable for another day receiving between the lines and with the help of Mbappé drawing breakthroughs, was one step away from scoring one of the Champions League goals. The Brazilian surprised Gulasci with a side free kick 40 meters from the goal that crashed into the post. It was the warning of what was about to happen before the break.

If Leipzig is a team that does not conceive anything other than getting the ball played to reach the rival area, PSG is one of the most feared counterattacks in Europe. Gulasci made a serious mistake in the exit of the ball that was the second goal of the Parisians. Di María, assistant in the first goal, rounded off a great first half after taking advantage of the umpteenth genius of Neymar, who on high heels and without looking assisted the noodle with her left leg. They were perhaps the most complete 45 minutes of PSG in the European Cup, and in the semifinals.

As expected, Nagelsmann had to modify his system and after the break he introduced Forsberg and Schick in search of more offensive bite. and aggressiveness to accumulate more players in the rival field. It did not have the desired effect, since Di María showed off again and assisted Bernat in the third of PSG. The game turned even more in the face of the Ligue 1 champion, who had several clear chances to counter-attack that could further increase the lead on the scoreboard.

After nine years of misfortunes, PSG will play their first Champions League final on Sunday. It needed a millionaire investment from Qatar for this, but the truth is that the club's project had taken a radical turn in recent years, seeking the structure as a collective before the individualities. Tuchel, who was very close to leaving after the hit against Manchester United, is the great architect from a team with spectacular offensive talent that has achieved what seemed impossible a few months ago, when the end of the season was declared in Ligue 1.