SOCCER: Holders PSG reach Champions League final with 1-1 draw at Bayern

MUNICH, Germany – Defending champions Paris St Germain secured their place in the Champions League final for the second straight season after drawing 1-1 with hosts Bayern Munich on Wednesday. PSG advanced 6-5 on aggregate in an exhilarating semi-final tie.

The French side will face Arsenal in the May 30 final in Budapest, following the London club’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, which gave them a 2-1 aggregate victory.

PSG, holding a 5-4 advantage from last week’s thrilling first leg, started strongly. Ousmane Dembele, who scored twice in the first leg, fired home a perfectly timed cutback from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the third minute to give the visitors an early lead.

For much of the match, PSG absorbed heavy pressure from Bayern, who needed two goals to overturn the deficit, and waited for chances to strike on the counterattack.

In the second half, PSG found more space as the Germans pushed forward in desperation. They came close to extending their lead through Desire Doue and Kvaratskhelia late in the game. Bayern’s Harry Kane managed a stoppage-time equalizer, but it was not enough to prevent PSG from advancing.

-Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters