PSG, A Team From The "Farm League" That Reached The Champions League Final

Luis Enrique mocked Ligue 1's status as a "Farm League" after Paris Saint-Germain secured a place in the Champions League final with a 3-1 aggregate semifinal win against Arsenal.

The win completed a clean sweep against the Premier League team this season.

After winning the first leg in the middle of last week 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, PSG completed the task at the Parc des Princes with goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi before Bukayo Saka scored a consolation goal in the 76th minute for Arsenal.

After confirming the Ligue title 1 month ago, PSG could now complete the trebles if they beat Reims in the French Cup final (Coupe de France) on May 24, 2025, before facing Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Munich a week later.

However, after being informed that PSG had reached their second Champions League final after losing to Bayern Munich in Lisbon in 2020--Luis Enrique joked that the demeaning "Farm League"--label that was applied to Ligue 1--has won.

They even beat four Premier League teams (Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal) to reach the top round of the Champions League this season.

"The farmer's league, isn't it? We are a farmer's league. However, it's good. We enjoy the results and praise of everyone talking about our team--our mentality, the way we play. It's good."

"Mikel Arteta is a good friend, but I totally disagree (that Arsenal deserved to win)."

"They play the way they want and like to play, but in two legs, we score more goals than them and that's the most important thing."

"Arsenal played very well and we suffered a lot, but we deserved to advance to the final."

"How will you win the Champions League without a great goalkeeper? Today, Gigi (Gianluigi Donnarumma) appears phenomenal, like in every round, like against Liverpool."

"How will you win the Champions League without a good defense? They performed phenomenally today," Luis Enrique told TNT Sports.

PSG lost in their first five matches in the Champions League group stage and are likely to be knocked out of the tournament in January 2025.

However, Luis Enrique, who led Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2015, said that the 4-2 win against Manchester City in Paris in January 2025 was a turning point in their campaign.

"The turning point could have happened in the match against Manchester City where we lost 0-2," said Luis Enrique.

"However, in the statistics of the group stage, we are among the best in Europe. We are fair finalists."

"That means a lot. Everyone dreams of reaching the Champions League final and our first goal when we arrive in Paris is to make history and we are on the right track," he said.

PSG face Inter Milan in the final after the Serie A champions eliminated Barcelona in the semifinals.

Luis Enrique said it would be a tough game for his team.

"Inter Milan is more experienced than us, older players, but we want to win trophies."

"We will have that mentality for the final. It will be difficult, but they will have the same final."

"Finals are interesting - it's very difficult for both teams. It's a special moment for us and them too."

"This is their second final in three years. So they are a great team. We have time to plan, but now is the time to celebrate," said Luis Enrique.