PSG return to Parc des Princes with sense of déjà-vu | OneFootball

There is a sense of déjà-vu for Paris Saint-Germain. Just as they did in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, Luis Enrique’s side have a one-goal deficit to overturn in the semi-final, whilst there are also parallels to the last meeting between PSG and Borussia Dortmund in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

It was an odd occasion on 11th March 2020. It is a month that will forever live long in the collective memory as the time when the world was plunged into lockdown due to the emergence and spread of COVID-19, however, for PSG, 11/03/2020 conjures another memory.

It is the date on which Les Parisiens overturned a one-goal deficit. Having trailed 2-1 after the first leg of the Round of 16 clash at the Signal Iduna Park, due to an Erling Haaland brace, PSG progressed thanks to first-half goals from Neymar and Juan Bernat. Fans weren’t allowed in the stadium but thousands gathered outside to celebrate the victory with PSG’s players looking down on the impressive pyrotechnic display.

Both Neymar and Bernat have since departed and Les Parisiens will be looking for other players to step up after Niclas Füllkrug’s goal gave Dortmund the upper hand heading back to the Parc des Princes.  In 2020, PSG reached their first and so far only Champions League final; should they repeat the feat of 2020, they will do so again.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle