Paris Saint Germain opened their campaign by dismantling Benfica 4 1 in Lisbon, a night where Vitinha announced himself with a stunning long range curler. A draw away to Shakhtar followed, yet three consecutive group wins secured top spot with a match to spare and allowed rotation in the closing fixture.

A reunion with former coach Mauricio Pochettino awaited in the round of sixteen and Tottenham briefly threatened an upset when Son Heung Min levelled in Paris. Mbappé answered with a brace inside six minutes at the other end to secure progression 5 2 on aggregate and underline the striker’s big game aura.

Quarter final drama came against Aston Villa whose surprise run had captured neutral hearts. PSG were forced to dig deep when Leon Bailey’s strike levelled the tie in stoppage time, but Ousmane Dembele’s extra time winner converted the Parc des Princes into a cauldron of relief and raucous belief.

Semi final opponents Real Madrid needed no introduction. The first leg at the Bernabeu ended 1 1 after Donnarumma’s penalty save from Vinicius Junior. In Paris the tension felt palpable until Mbappé raced onto Hakimi’s through ball in the ninety second minute to nudge the French champions over the line.

Across twelve matches PSG recorded nine victories, two draws and a single defeat while dominating the xG charts in every knockout round. Perhaps most encouraging for supporters, five separate players scored winning goals, underscoring squad depth that may finally match the club’s lofty ambitions.