In a special football edition of Euronews - The Ring - the Champions League game is analyzed, which will go down in history as one of the best. Nine goals - can top-quality football be better? Our experts also discuss what else drives the most popular sport in Europe.
It was a fantastic match that shook the Parc des Princes and will go down in Champions League history! The French defender of Paris Saint-Germain, leading 5-2, secured a one-goal advantage but feared the worst.
However, the 35-time champions of Germany demonstrated their resilience and talent to narrow the deficit to one goal.
The second leg in Munich next week promises to be monumental.
To discuss what happened on that memorable Tuesday and what else drives European football these days, host Stefan Grobe was joined by two other big football fans and unmatched Brussels insiders: Connor Allen, a manager of government and external relations at a major company, and Petros Fassoulas, Secretary General of the International European Movement.
Both were full of praise for the quality of the French and German teams, who were constantly on the attack. They also highlighted the strong individual performances of players with some of the highest earnings in European football.
That evening, they certainly earned their money.
For the first time in the semifinals of the main European tournament, both sides scored at least four goals, and only for the second time in a Champions League knockout match after the 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Liverpool in the quarterfinals of the 2008-2009 season.
Although Fassoulas and Allen shared many opinions about the game, they disagreed on who would ultimately win the competition.
Allen, who is English, believes that London’s Arsenal will take the Cup home. (In the other semifinal, the Gunners had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid).
The match also sparked excitement in the political sphere.
In response to a question from Euronews, EU Commissioner for Sport Glenn Mechallef said: "This is what European sport does. It brings people together in one moment. Footballers are ambassadors and role models that people look up to. They inspire and unite millions of people. And the Champions League, along with the national leagues of Europe, provides them with the greatest stage to do just that."
Among other discussion topics were the darker sides of football, particularly the issue of racism among fans.
