Stats & facts: A look back at victory and qualification in Stuttgart!
In the wake of Paris Saint-Germain's 4-1 win over VfB Stuttgart at the Arena Stuttgart on Wednesday 29 January, check out the key facts and figures from the encounter on the eighth and final matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
PARIS OUTRAGED, PARIS BROKEN, BUT PARIS... QUALIFIED!
After the first five matches ( one win, one draw, three defeats) to kick off this brand new league phase, not many people still believed in Paris Saint-Germain's chances of qualifying. But then Luis Enrique and his men put together a string of three wins, the first such run for the capital club in the competition since November 2020-February 2021 (four wins), to clinch the precious ticket.
Paris bounced back in Salzburg (3-0), stunned Manchester City (4-2) and then dominated in Stuttgart (4-1) on Wednesday to end their Ligue 1 campaign on a high. With victory in Germany, Paris have now gone 13 official matches unbeaten ( nine wins and four draws), and are past the first phase (group or league) of the UEFA Champions League for the 13th year running (only Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern Munich can say the same).
ANOTHER RECORD FOR CAPITÃO MARQUI
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, who played his 99th UEFA Champions League match at the Arena Stuttgart, made his 428th start in all competitions for the capital club, one match ahead of Jean-Marc Pilorget.
BARCOLA ACCELERATING
After opening the scoring against the Germans and then providing an assist a few minutes later, Rouge et Bleu striker Bradley Barcola took his goal involvement tally to eight in his last five matches in all competitions (four goals, four assists) with Paris Saint-Germain. The Paris No.29 has scored and provided at least one assist on four occasions in all competitions in 2025 (four goals, four assists). No other player in Europe's top five has done better this year!
DEMBOUZ IS ON FIRE
Having scored a resounding hat-trick against Stuttgart, his second hat-trick as a professional after the one he bagged in Stade Rennais FC's victory over FC Nantes in Ligue 1 on 6 March 2016, Rouge et Bleu forward Ousmane Dembélé now has 16 goals in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain this season, his highest total for a single season at club level (previously 14 with Barcelona in 2018-2019). The French international, who was deservedly named man of the match on Wednesday, has scored eight in 2025, the joint-highest total in all competitions for a player in Europe's top five, alongside Kylian Mbappé and Lautaro Martinez.