Parisians qualify in the face of the yellow wall

History will show that it was in the cauldron of Borussia Dortmund that our Parisians played out their European future. With their backs against the yellow wall - literally and figuratively - the Red and Blues approached this big game with the determination to achieve their objective. Deprived of the irresistible Ousmane Dembélé for this challenge, Luis Enrique nonetheless opted for an exciting starting eleven, with an explosive attacking trio featuring Kylian Mbappé, Bradley Barcola and Randal Kolo Muani.

There was electricity in the freezing Ruhr air on Wednesday evening. Our Red and Blues had to expect some turbulence against this yellow tide being carried along by a passionate crowd. The opening minutes of the match, which were played at 100mph, made that clear very quickly: it was going to take vigilance, solidarity and personality to withstand the waves of opposition while at the same time making the most of our chances. Luis Enrique's men were able to use these ingredients to face the storm and get the better of BvB.

Of course, the German side had a few good chances, but our rearguard was not ready to back down in the face of pressure. Better still, after a suffocating first quarter of an hour, the Parisians gradually managed to get a bit of breathing space to showcase their creativity and speed at the other end of the pitch. The stadium held its breath when Kylian Mbappé's superb chance was saved off the line by Süle (15'), before Bradley Barcola's shot crashed against the post (19'). It was then Randal Kolo Muani who broke through the German defence with an excellent run, but his ball skimmed the right post in excruciating slow motion (24'). There was no doubt that we were going to suffer, and our nerves were going to be severely tested.

The half-time whistle soon came and showed that the game was there for the taking. With Newcastle opening the scoring against Milan, the chances that were appearing had to be converted into something tangible. But it was BvB who opened the scoring against the run of play, Adeyemi finding the opening in the box from a rather messy sequence (1-0, 52'). With their fate in their own hands, the Parisians had to step up a gear to turn the situation around. It was then that a 17-year-old prodigy sounded the revolt! Served by Kylian Mbappé, Warren Zaïre-Emery put everything he had into his shot to put the Parisians back on track (1-1, 55'). 

In reality, the equaliser did nothing to change the situation: the same levels had to be maintained. But then, just as we were learning that Milan had equalised on the other side of the Channel, the excitement picked up again (1-1)... Especially when Kylian Mbappé saw his goal disallowed for a very borderline offside (75'). It was as if our Red and Blues had to be pushed further and further, harder and harder, to see their work through. Six long, interminable minutes of extra time then followed, when Milan took the lead in the group's other match (1-2). 6 minutes in which the status quo made Dortmund and Paris good friends.

In the end, after an epic evening full of emotion, Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. A performance that confirms, if confirmation were needed, the level of consistency and excellence of our capital in overcoming all obstacles. Our Parisians never give up: Fluctuat nec mergitur!