Champions League: 4 Times PSG Disappointed in Europe After Dortmund Defeat Ends Title Quest

• Paris Saint-Germain's 2023/2024 Champions League journey is over
• A 2-0 aggregate defeat to Dortmund in the semis ended their search
• Here are four instances where the Parisians have faltered in Europe

Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League woes have persisted as Borussia Dortmund ousted them from Europe's premier club competition on Tuesday, May 7.

The Parisians reached their first UCL semi-final since 2021 following a remarkable comeback against FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals, overturning a 3-2 first-leg deficit.

PSG's victory over the Catalan giants fueled hopes for a maiden UCL title, especially after drawing Borussia Dortmund, while Real Madrid and Bayern Munich made the other semi-final.

However, despite what seemed like a favourable path to the final, the French champions once again failed to deliver, succumbing across two legs against the German side.

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Dortmund ends PSG's Champions League quest

A solitary strike from Niclas Fullkrug in the first leg gave Dortmund a slight advantage, with Matts Hummels delivering the final blow to PSG's dreams on their home turf.

Despite PSG's relentless attacking efforts, they faced a water-tight defence from the Black and Yellows in the return leg in Paris.

Luis Enrique's side unleashed 30 shots in the second leg, the most in a single UCL game without scoring, and hit the woodwork six times across both legs, just one fewer than Dortmund's shots on target, per Squawka.

While the disappointment is palpable, this may not rank as the most devastating in their Champions League history:

The 4 times PSG disappointed in Champions League

In light of this, Sports Brief revisits four occasions when PSG stumbled in Europe's premier club competition, highlighting their recurring disappointments, or better still, bottle jobs.

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4. PSG vs Real Madrid: 2021-22 Round of 16

With a 1-0 lead against Real Madrid in the first leg of their round of 16 tie and then securing another 1-0 advantage at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium during the game, courtesy of Kylian Mbappe, PSG were in control.

However, their hopes were shattered when Karm Benzema netted a 17-minute hat-trick, leading to a devastating defeat, according to ESPN.

Despite boasting a star-studded front three of Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, PSG couldn't deliver when it mattered the most.

3. PSG vs Manchester United: 2018-19 Round of 16

Perhaps even more agonising than the loss to Real Madrid in 2022 was the defeat to Manchester United in 2019.

Despite a depleted squad missing key player, Neymar, PSG managed a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, seemingly securing an easy path to the quarter-finals.

However, the return leg at Parc des Princes turned into a nightmare as a determined Red Devils side staged a remarkable 3-1 comeback.

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Marcus Rashford's last-gasp penalty sealed United's spot in the last eight, leaving the French giants stunned, per the BBC.

2. PSG vs Bayern Munich: 2019-20 final

Very few clubs manage to reach the Champions League final, let alone win it, in their first attempt. With PSG's investments in talents like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, they appeared poised to emulate Dortmund's success in 1997.

However, when the moment of truth arrived in what could be considered the club's most significant match to date, PSG fell short of their long-standing aspirations.

It was a heartbreaking defeat at the final hurdle.

The high-profile stars brought in to secure victory in this competition missed opportunities and failed to replicate their domestic dominance on the grandest stage of European football.

1. PSG vs Barcelona: 2016-17 Round of 16

CBS Sports reports that nothing quite matches the origin of PSG's European struggles, which unfolded against Barcelona in what is arguably their most infamous moment in European football reports.

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A comprehensive 4-0 win for PSG in the first leg somehow turned into a 6-1 humbling in the return leg, marred by controversial refereeing decisions and leaving lasting psychological scars on the French champions.

While this season's quarterfinal comeback against Barcelona may have helped heal some of that trauma, it took nearly a decade for PSG to fully recover from that haunting experience.

Dortmund aims dig at PSG after UCL exit

Sports Brief also previously reported that Borussia Dortmund aimed a subtle dig at PSG following the latter's exit from the UEFA Champions League.

The Black and Yellows pulled off a one-goal win in both legs of their semi-final clash against the Parisians to book a spot in the tourney's last round.

After knocking out the French champions, Dortmund's social media admin reposted a PSG post from four years ago with a hilarious trolling caption.