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Tom Hindle

The Rondo: Is Bayern-PSG the greatest Champions League game of all time? Who’s smiling after Arsenal-Atletico - and who makes the final?

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Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain
M. Arteta
Luis Enrique
Champions League

The Champions League delivered one classic and one truly forgettable contest amidst a mixed week of semi final action. The good news? There's more football to be played.

And so concludes a Champions League week of two halves. It's a bit unfortunate, really, that the semifinals unfolded as they did. To be honest, Bayern Munich-PSG should be a final. They are, by some distance, the best two teams in Europe. They also play the best football. Sure, soccer tournaments are supposed to be full of intrigue, and giant-killings are fun. But having them play in a semi, while Arsenal and Atletico Madrid face off in the other, feels like we're being robbed of a seminal moment.

Still, we must take what we can get. And this was hardly a week to complain about.Bayern-PSG was electric, modern football at its best. PSG won the first leg, 5-4, but the only shame is that it ended. Arsenal-Atleti, meanwhile, was the slog that everyone expected. No one seemed desperate to win, and the game reflected that. It was fitting, all said, that the teams begrudgingly shook hands after a 1-1 draw - and that both calls came from soft penalty kicks.

The good news is we have second legs to worry about. PSG-Bayern should really be more of the same. Luis Enrique promised after full-time that his side would not simply defend a one-goal advantage at the Allianz Arena. Atletico-Arsenal really should open up at the Emirates, even if both teams would somehow be happy to draw again. It has been a gripping week, and next should be even better.

GOAL writers break it all down in another edition of... The Rondo.

  • FBL-EUR-C1-PSG-BAYERN MUNICHAFP

    Was Bayern-PSG the best Champions League game ever?

    Tom Hindle: No, but it's probably a good thing that we seem to be having this conversation every year. Inter-Barca last season probably edges it in recent memory, if only due to the fact that an ancient defender struck the final blow. And then, if we're going all time, Liverpool-Milan, 2005 final absolutely takes the cake. That's probably the best football match of all time.



    Ryan Tolmich: No, but it was pretty good. Fairly or unfairly, that distinction can't go to the first leg of a semifinal when we've seen so many dramatic second legs and finals themselves. So, without a Remontada to write home about, this is filed in the great category, not all-time best category.

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  • Paris Saint-Germain v FC Bayern München - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final First LegGetty Images Sport

    Who wins that tie overall?

    TH: It's on an absolute knife-edge, right? The funny thing is, the best strategy for both teams is probably to do more of what they were doing last week. There's been a lot of chatter about how defense was kind of optional there, and it's not wrong. But with that caliber of attack on the pitch, there's not much point trying to keep it tidy anyway. The Allianz should be a big boost for Bayern, and with PSG likely missing Achraf Hakimi, the Bavarians probably edge it.

    RT: Coin flip, as annoying as that is to say. Those two teams are so far and away better than everyone else in Europe that it's something of a bummer that they're meeting now. At least it means we get two legs of it, but if we have to choose one, it's PSG since they're already holding onto that narrow lead.

  • Atletico de Madrid v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final First LegGetty Images Sport

    Were you surprised with how stingy Arsenal-Atletico Madrid was?

    TH: Stingy is perhaps a tad unfair. Atleti looked like they wanted to score for about 20 minutes in the first half, and then 15 in the second. But yeah, the lack of football played shouldn't really be a shock to anyone. The annoying thing? There's no real reason for things to change next week, either.

    RT: Nope. That's the way those two teams are: Arsenal are lifeless in attack, and Atleti defend for their lives when they don't have the ball. As a result, you get a team lacking ideas trying to break down a team that is okay with watching that team struggle. Realistically, Atleti should have won it, and they had their chances to do so, but, again, no surprise it went how it did.

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  • Atletico de Madrid v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final First LegGetty Images Sport

    Does either team come out of that game feeling good?

    TH: Probably, considering neither manager seems to like playing risky football! Joking aside, Arsenal probably feel a bit happier now. A tie away from home is fine, and even if they aren't seasoned vets in Champions League semis, a hope in the second leg should always give you a bit of an edge.

    RT: Atletico Madrid should, for sure. Nothing Arsenal threw at them phased them in the slightest, which allowed them to play their game and get a few good looks going forward, too. Is it hard to go on the road and win? Yes, but they'll believe they can, particularly with Arsenal's current form.

  • Gyokeres HanckoGetty Images

    Final prediction for Arsenal-Atletico Madrid?

    TH: Well, you'd be a bit naive to expect expansive football. Atleti will fancy a proper smash and grab. Arsenal don't like to attack. It reeks of a dodgy first half goal and then terrible football after. These two are basically competing for the honor of being battered by one of Bayern or PSG, though.

    RT: Let's go with1-1, then pens. It will be another ugly game and both teams are good enough to get a goal from somewhere, but Atletico Madrid just have that it factor, while Arsenal certainly does not. Because of that, Simeone's boys go through in a shootout.

  • ArtetaGetty Images

    How badly does Mikel Arteta need to win the Champions League? Or should the Premier League be his focus?

    TH: It's a tough one. There's a lot of dialogue that Arteta needs to win the Prem above all else. But step back, and if Arsenal finish second but win the Champions League, isn't that a success? The Premier League is decided on such fine margins, City are so, so good - there's not really any shame in losing to them, to be honest. Arsenal have never won the Champions League. There is not a single world in which winning it is a bad thing. Sacrificing UCL success for the Prem would be silly. And, also, didn't the Gunners spend so big last summer so they could fight on all fronts? No excuses.

    RT: Either or at this point. Arsenal can't afford to lose both, particularly with how they crashed out of the cups. There is immense pressure on Arteta and this team to win one of them, whichever it may be. In truth, the Premier League may be the easier of the two given the juggernaut awaiting them in a potential Champions League finale, so maybe that's the best bet.