PSG secure Champions League knockout stage playoff spot after 4-1 win over VfB Stuttgart
Published: 30 Jan. 2025, 13:45
Updated: 30 Jan. 2025, 16:41
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- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, center right, in action during the Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart at MHP Arena in Germany on Jan. 29. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/30/c9450073-cf27-4f4c-bd54-2761c692d3ef.jpg)
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, center right, in action during the Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart at MHP Arena in Germany on Jan. 29. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Paris Saint-Germain secured a spot in the 2024-25 Champions League knockout stage playoffs after finishing the league phase in 15th place, following a 4-1 win over VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday.
In the fixture at MHP Arena in Germany, where Lee Kang-in featured for 30 minutes as a substitute, Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat-trick to lead his side to victory.
Bradley Barcola opened the scoring before Dembélé stole the show, with Willian Pacho scoring an own goal in the 77th minute to provide Stuttgart with some consolation.
Wednesday's fixture marked Lee’s eighth appearance in this season's Champions League, where he has yet to register a goal contribution. During PSG's campaign, the club recorded four wins, one draw and three losses in the league phase.
PSG finished in 15th place on the 36-team Champions League table, placing them in the two-legged playoffs to secure a spot in the round of 16.
In the revamped Champions League format, teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the playoffs to determine which sides advance to the round of 16, where the top eight teams are already waiting.
PSG could face either 17th-place Monaco or 18th-place Brest, with the playoff draw scheduled for Friday.
Lee will continue his Champions League run with PSG, alongside three other teams with Korean players that made it to the playoffs: Kim Min-jae's Bayern Munich finished 12th, Hwang In-beom's Feyenoord came in 19th and Yang Hyun-jun's Celtic ended up 21st.
The first legs of the playoffs will kick off on Feb. 11, with the round of 16 starting in March.
PSG will have a busy schedule in February, with ongoing participation in the French Cup in addition to their Ligue 1 matches.
The Ligue 1 reigning champions will return to action against Brest on Saturday, followed by their French Cup round of 16 clash against Le Mans on Feb. 4.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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