Still high on life following the managerial change at Old Trafford in December 2018, Manchester United faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League first knockout round.
The home leg for the Premier League club couldn’t have gone much worse, with the French side walking away victorious with a 2-0 scoreline.
Manchester United needed nothing less than a miracle in the return fixture, needing to score at least three goals to go through, and that’s exactly what they did.
Capitalising on mistakes from a lackadaisical Paris Saint-Germain, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side won 3-1, and went through to face Barcelona, who would ultimately be their downfall.
He said: “Last season, when we were knocked out by Manchester United, it was even harder for me because I wasn’t on the pitch. I suffered as much as if I had played, and I was very sad. I felt bad because we had a real opportunity to get to the quarter finals, where I could have played. However, you need to learn how to use those unfortunate experiences to learn.”
That’s what Paris Saint-Germain will be trying to do this season as they continue their quest for a first Champions League, finding out on Friday they will be facing Borussia Dortmund in the first knockout round.
With their attack now fully firing (they beat Saint-Etienne 4-0 at the weekend), and barring any serious injuries, they will feel confident enough to go through and take an extra step towards that final in Istanbul.
