The Road to Munich: Semifinal Showdown

Arsenal’s dominant 5-1 victory over defending champions Real Madrid propelled them into the Champions League semifinals. Their opponent? Paris Saint-Germain,who overcame Aston Villa with a 5-4 scoreline.

• Arsenal’s Milestone: This marks Arsenal’s first semifinal appearance since the 2008-2009 season.
• PSG’s Pursuit: PSG reaches its fourth semifinal since 2020.
• The Ultimate Prize: Only one of these teams will advance to the final, set to be held at Allianz Arena in Munich on May 30.

the Munich Factor: A History of First-Time Champions

History reveals a captivating pattern: every Champions League final held in Munich has crowned a first-time champion. This has occurred on four previous occasions, adding weight to the hopes of both Arsenal and PSG.

The first three finals took place at the Olympic Stadium, while the 2012 final and the upcoming one are hosted at the Allianz Arena.

Echoes of the Past: Finals in Munich

Let’s revisit the four previous Champions League finals held in Munich, each witnessing the rise of a new champion:

1978-1979: Nottingham Forest’s Triumph

Nottingham Forest secured their title with a 1-0 victory over Malmö of Sweden. Trevor Francis scored the decisive goal.

🏆 #onthisday in 1979, The Reds were crowned European Champions for the first time following a 1-0 victory against Malmö in Munich

Million-pound man Trevor Francis with the winner 🤩 #NFFC pic.twitter.com/ZNYBrs3QHz

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 30, 2021

1992-1993: Marseille’s Historic Win

Marseille claimed their first and only Champions League title, defeating Milan with a single goal scored by Basil Boli.

𝟮𝟲/𝟬𝟱/𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟯 – #OnThisDay

France’s 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 wrote @ChampionsLeague history.#120ansdelegende pic.twitter.com/kYLOdAxT36

– Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@om_english) May 26, 2020

1996-1997: Borussia Dortmund’s Victory

Borussia Dortmund triumphed over Juventus with a 3-1 victory. Karl-Heinz Riedle scored twice, Lars Ricken added another, while Alessandro Del Piero scored Juventus’s only goal.

The @KHRiedle double.
The @delpieroale flick.
The Lars Ricken Praise.#OnThisDay in 1997: @BVB 3–1 @juventusfc
💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/cwIpYyE6iH

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 28, 2019

2011-2012: Chelsea’s Penalty Shootout Win

Chelsea secured the title by defeating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout (4-3) after a 1-1 draw. Thomas Müller scored for Bayern, while Didier Drogba equalized for Chelsea.

#onthisday 2012: Chelsea won the #UCL beating Bayern in Munich pic.twitter.com/lNGI3c2re7

— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) May 19, 2017

Past Attempts: Arsenal and PSG’s Previous Final Appearances

Both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have reached the Champions League final before, but victory eluded them:

• Arsenal (2005-2006): Lost to Barcelona 2-1.
• PSG (2019-2020): defeated by Bayern munich 1-0.

🔵🔴 henrik Larsson comes off the bench to inspire Barcelona to the #UCL title! 🏆#UCLfinal | @FCBarcelona https://t.co/O8VXkjbGHk pic.twitter.com/OKldu0BWeA

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 17, 2019

⏪ #Taldíacomohoy In 2020 …

The Bayern, champion of the Champions League with this goal of Coman! 🙌🏆#UCL | @Fcbayernes pic.twitter.com/DkPtJb6HYU

– champions League (@LigadeCampeones) August 23, 2021

Semifinal Dates and Potential Final Opponents

Arsenal is scheduled to host Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium on April 29. The return leg will be at the Parc des Princes on May 7.

Irrespective of which team advances,the final in Munich promises to be a challenging encounter,especially against either Barcelona or Inter Milan.