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3 injured, dozens arrested in Paris amid celebrations after PSG's win

NAEL CHAHINE / AFP / Getty

French police arrested 47 people in the capital and three others were injured by a car after football club Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal to reach the Champions League final, authorities said Thursday.

Raucous celebrations erupted in Paris after PSG beat their English rivals 2-1 Wednesday night to advance to the May 31 final and a shot at the club's first Champions League title.

Three people were injured when a Mercedes crashed into a group of pedestrians near the capital's iconic Champs-Elysees avenue as PSG fans celebrated, police said, adding the "circumstances... remain unclear at this stage".

One of those injured, a minor, was in critical condition in hospital, prosecutors said.

They said they had opened an investigation for assault, fleeing the scene and failure to assist a person in danger.

Police said the driver tried to flee in the car, but was unable to get through the dense crowd of supporters.

The driver and a passenger then ran away on foot, "abandoning their car to the fury of the crowd. It was burned and completely destroyed," police said.

Rowdy groups clashed with officers, pelting them with objects, police said.

Four vehicles were reported damaged.

AFP journalists saw two burned-out vehicles near the Champs-Elysees.

Paris had deployed more than 2,000 police and emergency workers for the match, which fell the day before a public holiday to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Thousands of fans without tickets massed outside the Parc des Princes stadium during the match.

Police intervened to restore the flow of traffic after rowdy celebrations erupted, but reported "no major incidents" outside the stadium.

In the nearby town of Fontainebleau, police said they had used tear gas to break up an unruly crowd of around 500 people.

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