PARIS, May 7 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain were supposed to have moved beyond the era of glittering individuals and galactico excess, but their march to a second straight Champions League final suggests they may simply have entered a new version of it.
This PSG side, no longer revolving around celebrity status, is built on Luis Enrique's relentless collective demands, on structure, sacrifice and intensity.
Yet in Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG possess two players whose influence is already starting to feel era-defining.
After a 5-4 win at the Parc des Princes in a game that will remain in football's collective memory, PSG were expected to suffer against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
They did, but PSG struck almost immediately and seized control of the narrative.
After barely three minutes, Fabian Ruiz pierced Bayern’s shape with a perfectly weighted pass to Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian accelerated into space and delayed just long enough to freeze the defence before cutting the ball back for Dembele, who rifled a first-time finish under the bar past Manuel Neuer.
If last season marked the emergence of Luis Enrique’s PSG, this campaign has confirmed their permanence among Europe’s elite. Once the injuries subsided, Paris again resembled a side overflowing with top-level talent in every line.
Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Dembele and Desire Doue are becoming the faces of this generation, who will be looking to be the second team to retain their Champions League title against Arsenal in Budapest on May 30. Real Madrid won it three times in a row from 2016-18.
Dembele, carrying himself with the assurance of a Ballon d’Or winner, endured more complicated evenings in possession. Deprived of service for long stretches and initially stationed in an unusual role on the right before drifting centrally after the break, he touched the ball only 20 times.
PSG also bypassed midfield more often than usual to escape Bayern’s aggressive press, reducing the opportunities for Dembele to operate between the lines.
But elite forwards often require only a moment and Dembele also led by example with his relentless pressing, coming down the pitch to chase the ball.
His magnificent finish effectively tilted the tie in his side's favour and, once his work was done, he became the first PSG forward sacrificed shortly after the hour mark.
Kvaratskhelia's night unfolded differently. The Georgian remained on the pitch to endure, resist and attack again.
At times he appeared exhausted, briefly bent over during defensive recoveries or dragging a leg after another sprint. Seconds later he would explode forward once more.
He won 11 of his 15 duels, completed six of seven dribbles and recorded 56 touches — more than every PSG player apart from Nuno Mendes. In a game largely spent defending deep and attacking space on transition, those numbers carried enormous weight.
Kvaratskhelia has 10 goals and six assists in this season's Champions League and became the first player since the last 16 returned in 2003 to contribute to a goal in seven successive knockout matches.
(Reporting by Julien PretotEditing by Christian Radnedge)
