Numbers: Di Maria level with Messi; free-scoring PSG equal Real Madrid

They have done it, at long last. After years of relative underachievement, Paris Saint-Germain will now await one of Bayern Munich or Lyon in the UEFA Champions League final. Here then, are the best stats from their comprehensive 3-0 over RB Leipzig.

1

This is PSG’s first European Cup/Champions League final. They now become the 5th French club to reach the final, joining Reims (1956, 1959), AS Saint-Étienne (1976), Marseille (1991, 1993) and Monaco (2004). Only the 1993 vintage Marseille side ended up winning the title.

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This one’s slightly unexpected. Neymar’s assist to Angel Di Maria was the first time ever that the Brazilian had given a pass for a goal scored by the Argentina winger. For context, since Neymar joined PSG in 2017-18, there have been 38 different assist-to-goalscorer combinations that have had more goals in the team than Neymar-to-Di Maria.

2

When RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams came on in the 64th minute for Kevin Kampl, he became only the second US international to play in the UCL semifinals after DaMarcus Beasley (PSV, 2005).

3-0

PSG’s 3-0 win is the largest margin of victory by a French club in a UCL match after the Round of 16.

7/5

Nobody has kept more clean sheets (7) or conceded fewer goals (5) this UCL season than PSG.

8

Bayern and PSG are only teams left in the competition with a chance to complete the Treble this season (league title, domestic cup and European Cup/UCL). If they do win the whole thing outright, PSG could become the eighth different team in Europe’s top five leagues (and first French team) to win the Treble.

It may be noted here, though, that Lyon’s all-conquering women’s team have won the Women’s European Treble on four occasions.

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Di Maria has been involved in eight UCL goals this season (3 goals, 5 assists); his joint-best return in a single season, level with 2013-14, when he won the competition with Real Madrid.

9

Many questioned his move, but just how ‘wrong’ was it? Since leaving Barcelona in 2017, Neymar has won nine titles and has a chance to win a 10th on Sunday, while Barcelona (and by extension, Lionel Messi) have won 4.

17

Angel Di María is unbeaten in all 17 UCL matches he has scored in (W15 D2 – 21 goals in total). Only Mohamed Salah (18), Gonzalo Higuain (21) and Patrick Kluivert (25) have scored in more games without defeat in the competition’s history.

26

Angel Di Maria has 26 assists over the last ten seasons of the Champions League. He is tied with Messi for second most over this decade, with only man having more — Cristiano Ronaldo (28). Right behind these three is Neymar (24).

33, 26

Julian Nagelsmann became the youngest head coach at a semifinal game in UCL history at 33 years and 26 days. However, his team’s loss means that the record for the youngest head coach at a UCL final will remain with Didier Deschamps (with Monaco in 2004, aged 35 years and 188 days)

34

PSG do like a goal or three, don’t they? They have now scored in 34 consecutive UCL games, tying Real Madrid’s competition record (2011-14).

74

RB Leipzig were the 74th different team to play in the semifinal of the European Cup/Champions League. Not too shabby for a club that was founded only 11 years ago.

110

This was PSG’s 110th game in the UCL/European Cup competition – the most played by any side before reaching their first final, overtaking Arsenal’s record of 90 (set between 1971 and 2006).