Our Champions League dream is over this season, despite a spirited showing in the French capital.
Going into the game 1-0 down from the first leg, we started in determined fashion and forced into two great saves early on from Gianluigi Donnarumma before Fabian Ruiz doubled PSG’s advantage on aggregate with a thumping finish from the edge of the area.
David Raya saved a Vitinha penalty in the second-half – but PSG did increase their lead through Achraf Hakimi, just after Donnarumma had made another stunning save to deny Bukayo Saka.
Saka scored with 15 minutes to go to give us hope, and he shot over shortly afterwards, but our epic Champions League journey ends in heart-breaking fashion.
Donnarumma denies us
We conceded within three minutes of the start of the start of the first leg, but here we had three big chances with barely ten minutes on the clock.
After two minutes Jurrien Timber won the ball high up, swung in an inviting cross to the middle but Declan Rice headed off target when well placed.
Moments later, a long Thomas Partey throw caused problems in the area, but Donnarumma made a reaction save to deny Gabriel Martinelli.
It was clearly a tactic for Partey to hurl the ball into the box whenever we won a throw in PSG territory.
His next throw was only cleared as far as Martin Odegaard on the edge of the area. He fizzed in a first-time low shot that seemed destined for the bottom corner until Donnarumma got his giant frame down low to tip it wide with an excellent save.
The Italian stopper was the player of the match last week in London, and he had single-handedly prevented us from taking an early lead here.
Hosts hit back
It had been one way traffic in the opening quarter of an hour, but in the blink of an eye PSG could have taken the lead. Khicha Kvaratskhelia raced onto the past on the left and curled his shot goalwards. It beat David Raya, but thumped off the post, into the feet of Myles Lewis-Skelly and back to our keeper.
A loose pass from William Saliba presented the French champions with another chance. This time Desire Doue couldn’t get any power on his shot, and it was easy for Raya. A definite let off.
But after weathering our early storm the hosts struck the first goal of the evening. Partey headed clear an inswinging free-kick, but only as far as Fabian Ruiz, who took a touch to shift it away from Martinelli before firing emphatically past Raya. It was a sickener given our positive start, and put us two goals behind on aggregate.
Just after the goal PSG turned over the ball in their own half to give Bradley Barcola an excellent chance, but Raya saved well low down as Rice slid in to make the challenge after tracking back 50 yards.
PSG had taken the sting out of the game, but we remained dangerous in attack. We finished the first half with Saka seeing lots of the ball on the right, but three times his low cross into the middle just didn’t find its target.
Raya saves spot kick
We couldn’t start the second half with the same intensity of the first, but slowly began to create chances. Saka had a corner palmed away from under the bar before Timber headed the next one wide. Then Saka tried his luck with a left-footed curler. It was heading for the top corner, but Donnarumma tipped it away superbly.
The referee was then called over to the touchline by the VAR to watch a replay of an apparent handball by Lewis-Skelly in the area. There had barely been an appeal on the pitch, but the spot kick was awarded. Vitinha stuttered in his run up, sent his shot low to Raya’s left, but our keeper was equal to it to turn it round the post.
The reprieve was temporary. As we pushed up in search of the goal to claw us back into the tie, the hosts broke again. This time Achraf Hakimi curled his shot low inside the far post to send the home fans back into song.
Saka pulls one back
We needed three goals now to force extra-time, and Saka started the fight back when he was first to a Leandro Trossard cross inside the area, controlled it past Donnarumma and tucked into the net.
Within moments Saka had a great chance to pull another back, but he fired Riccardo Calafiori’s fizzed cross over the bar in front of goal, with the keeper stranded.
It would have made for a grandstand finish, but ultimately our efforts were in vain, and despite racking up 19 shots on the night, we exited the competition at the last hurdle.
What’s next
It’s back to league football for the rest of the season. We have three matches remaining as we look to confirm Champions League qualification again for next season. Next up it’s Liverpool away on Sunday, followed by our final home game against Newcastle United the following Sunday, and we round off the 2024/25 season away to relegated Southampton.
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