PSG Feminine: A difficult night in Wolfsburg
By Hidayah Ali
Paris Saint-Germain have officially crashed out of the UEFA women's Champions League, after a tough assignment against Wolfsburg ending in a 1-2 loss on aggregate
Needing to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes in the first leg, the only option for PSG to advance was a win.
Having starting goalkeeper Barbara Votikova, captain Pauline Dudek, defender Amanda Ilestedt, and star player Marie-Antoniette Katoto all missing due to injury and Elisa De Almeida due to suspension, it looked like the opposition were the ones in the stronger position.
That being said, manager Gerard Preucher still had many players with just enough quality to get the job done.
The game started very well for the French side and it looked like goals would be guaranteed. It was the perfect start as Kadidiatou Diani found the back of the net early. It was all level on aggregate then... until VAR ruled off the goal due to offside.
The stress levels had risen once again, as they were back to where they had started. Come the 20th minute, Alexandra Popp had put her side a goal up (2-0 on aggregate) with a stunning goal. This looked a lot more complicated for Paris to come back from, but right after that, Diani's heading goal put them right back into it, and in the need of just one more goal to take it to extra time.
The next 45 minutes looked much more encourgaging considering the state of affairs at the break.
The second half would have to be played without scorer Diani as she injured her shoulder in the first half. Many chances fell for the German side but the post became Paris's savior on more than one occasion. The biggest chance for PSG came from 19-year-old Manssita Traore who just took a few seconds too long and wasn't able to finish.
Both sides continued to hunt for a goal but a 2-1 win on aggregate sent Wolfsburg through to face Arsenal in the next round.
With this elimination, Paris Saint-Germain has failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since the 2018-19 season and more importantly, will once more have to wait to lift this much-awaited trophy, same as the men's side of the club.
What does this mean for PSG Feminine's season?
This elimination was a huge disappointment and looks like a major setback from the progress the squad has tried (and achieved) to make in the previous seasons.
However, two trophies are still available as the girls have a French Cup final ahead of them and they are still in contention for the first-division title--Lyon standing in the way for both honors.
Once again, the two main squads of PSG have crashed out of Europe and will have to wait until next season to have another go at lifting their respective Champion League trophies. But let's be honest, will the story be any different? Only time and a lot of improvement will tell.