Champions League semifinal show ruled by France, Germany

Emmanuel Macron was quick to appropriate France’s unexpected Champions League prowess for political purposes. “In Brussels, as on the pitches,“the French president tweeted. “France and Germany, engines of Europe!”

The most powerful voices in European Union decision-making. And the last countries standing in the continent’s premier soccer competition, too.

It has never happened before: two French teams in the Champions League semifinals after two nights of stunning results in Lisbon. It is only the second time — after 1991 — since the European Cup was first handed out in 1955 that no teams from England, Italy or Spain made it to the last four.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona were sent packing after an 8-2 demolition by Bayern Munich on Friday. Then Lyon, the lowestranked quarterfinalist, on Saturday knocked out Manchester City, the world’s most expensively assembled squad.

Standing in the way of a first European Cup final for Lyon, which finished seventh in the French league, is five-time champion Bayern on Wednesday. The previous night will see Paris SaintGermain, which ended Atalanta’s fairytale run, facing knockout stage debutant Leipzig, which was only founded 11 years ago.

You have to go back even longer to find semifinals that didn’t feature Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. It hasn’t happened since 2005. Ronaldo, a Champions League winner with Manchester United and Real Madrid, didn’t even make it to this Portuguese city where his career was launched at Sporting. Juventus was eliminated in the last 16 by Lyon.