Well, what now? Squillions spent on drafting the glitterati into Paris Saint-Germain only to collapse again in the last-16 of the Champions League.
In British football parlance, it’s called being Spursy – a nod to Tottenham Hotspur who seem to fail when success seems so very possible.
In France, PSG can run away with Ligue 1 but in the Champions League – the competition craved by the Qatari paymasters – desolation has become the default setting.
This was PSG's fifth exit in the last-16 in seven years.
5 - Paris a été éliminé à 5 reprises en 8e de finale lors des 7 dernières éditions de la Ligue des Champions, au moins 2 fois de plus que toute autre équipe sur la période. Plafond. #BAYPSG pic.twitter.com/YeH6cAMEKH
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 8, 2023
On the upside, when they have progressed, they reached the semis and the final.
In 2022, PSG went into the second leg of their last-16 game against Real Madrid with a one-goal advantage. At one point they led 2-0 on aggregate before shipping three goals to lan inspired Karim Benzema to lose 3-2 on aggregate.
In 2023, PSG entered the second leg of the tie against Bayern Munich trailing 1-0.
Kingsley Coman – who came through the PSG academy – scored the only goal of the game in the first leg on 14 February at the Parc des Princes.
On Wednesday night in Munich, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, discarded soon after PSG's defeat to Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final, doubled the aggregate advantage on the hour mark.
Self-harm
It was a self-inflicted blow. El Chadaille Bitshiabu played a poor pass to Marco Verratti who was dispossessed by Thomas Muller.
The Bayern skipper played in Leon Goretzka who drew out the PSG goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma before rolling the ball towards Choupo-Moting to his left. And the Cameroon international gleefully slotted home to the chagrin of his former employers.
PSG, who had notched up 11 goals in three games against Lille, Marseille and Nantes, tried to hit back.
Kylian Mbappé, the club's record goalscorer brought a fine save from the Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
And minutes later Sommer parried away a Sergio Ramos header arcing into the top corner.
Serge Gnabry added the coup de grace in the 89th minute on a counterattack.
Donnarumma's save in stoppage time from Alphonso Davies' powerful drive prevented a humiliating scoreline.
The Bundesliga pacesetters moved into the last eight along with AC Milan who drew 0-0 at Spurs to advance 1-0 on aggregate.
They join Chelsea and Benfica who overcame Borussia Dortmund and Bruges respectively on Tuesday night.
