April 30 – Paris Saint-Germain have taken the advantage in their quest to reach the final of the Champions League after defeating Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
In a tense and cagey match, Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute goal proved to be the difference between the two clubs with the Parisians confirming their fine form against English sides in the competition after eliminating both Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Spanish manager Luis Enrique has transformed PSG who without Kylian Mbappé, have left the era of superstars behind but have been more dominant than ever and a revelation in European competition. They took the game to Arsenal who were left shellshocked following Dembele’s early goal.
In the second half, Arsenal improved and Mikel Merino equalised with a header but his goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR check. PSG goalkeeper Donnarumma then kept out Leandro Trossard as the Italian once again played a pivotal role for his team. At the other end, Goncalo Ramos’s poke hit the woodwork in the last minutes of the match.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes that Arsenal can still turn the tie around next week at the Parc des Princes.
“If you want to win the Champions League or be in the final, you have to do something exceptional in the tournament at some point. That’s what we have to now plan and do when we get to Paris in a few days,” said Arteta.
“I know we’re facing a top team, and we did a lot of good things but unfortunately the result doesn’t show a lot of the good things that we did. It’s half-time, you see the margins. You see the level of the two teams. We’re going to have our chances and we’re going to have to be very clinical when we have them.”
The tie’s winner will play FC Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final on June 1 in Munich.
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