Superior, Manchester City Wins The Battle of The Emirates

Champions League Final

Manchester City won both legs against Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 and 2-0 and qualifies for the club’s first ever Champions League final. In a football world dominated by foreign investors, Manchester City owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group outmatched Qatar Sport Investment, owners of PSG. The battle of the Emirates goes to the United Arab Emirates. 

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Coach Guardiola on taking the club to its first Champions League final:

“I think reaching the final of the Champions League helps us see the bigger picture of the last four years,” he said at his post-match press conference.

What we have done in the last four years is incredible. In terms of the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and every competition. Reaching the final helps us to understand what we have done. It is unfair, but we have to accept it.

To reach the final of this competition is so difficult. It is the toughest one, the quality of the opponent and the composure you have to have to suffer the toughest moments. We did it. We made an incredible Champions League season and now deserve to be there in the final.”

PSG hoped to reach the Champions League for a second straight time but failed one step before. Brilliant and overpowering during the round of 16 and quarterfinals stages, Kylian Mbappé was a shadow of himself against City. He got museled so did Neymar by a well-organized City defense. There is now a good chance both forwards move on respectively from PSG to another club after this failure.. 

Coach Pochettino on the elimination:

“I think that we played well. We feel disappointed because sometimes you need that percentage of luck to win the game, but the team put in incredible effort and I feel so proud of the players. We were a little bit unlucky and we are a little disappointed as we wanted to be in the final and I think we showed that. Unlucky, disappointed, sad, but we have two competitions left to play. It’s difficult now to be positive but we must be positive and be strong mentally.

You need to feel that you have to keep going and use this experience to be better every day and to be strong again for next season.

Of course, it’s about believing and carrying on. I think that the spirit has been good in these last four months of working together and getting to know each other. It’s important for the future and we will see. We are at a big club, a good club and of course the objective will always be to compete at this level. The objective is of course to win the Champions League and we know that this isn’t easy, but for sure we need to fight again next season.”