Paris Saint-Germain seized the benefit of their Champions League semifinal towards Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win within the first leg on Tuesday.
Dembele struck within the opening minutes on the Emirates Stadium and Luis Enrique’s aspect held on to the lead with a composed show that stored Arsenal at bay.
PSG will head into the second leg on the Parc des Princes on Might 7 as favourites to achieve the ultimate towards Barcelona or Inter Milan as they appear to win the event for the primary time.
However the French champions ought to take nothing with no consideration given their historical past of epic European collapses.
The primary leg of an intense battle belongs to PSG 🤝
Arsenal will need to benefit from their journey to Paris subsequent week ⏩✈️#UCL | #SSUCL pic.twitter.com/pj4WSIEyuQ
— SuperSport Soccer ⚽️ (@SSFootball) April 29, 2025
“We confirmed the type of workforce we’re. We tried to play our method and scored the aim early enjoying that method,” PSG boss Luis Enrique mentioned.
“We suffered typically however may have scored the second aim. The second match goes to be very powerful.
“The outcome means a little bit benefit for us. We are able to go to the ultimate however there may be nonetheless one match.”
Arsenal’s first defeat in 18 dwelling European matches was a painful blow to their very own bid to win a primary Champions League crown.
Mikel Arteta had labelled Arsenal’s run to the semifinals a “stunning story”.
The final chapter would possibly make for irritating studying, however Arteta insisted they don’t seem to be lifeless and buried simply but.
The Gunners had crushed holders Actual Madrid 5-1 on
“We put a lot into the sport. It is halftime and we have now an enormous probability to be within the remaining,” the Gunners boss mentioned.
“We struggled within the first quarter-hour to get momentum and dominance, however ultimately I used to be disenchanted to not get a draw no less than. That is the margins, that is the extent.”
The Gunners had crushed holders Actual Madrid 5-1 on mixture to achieve their first Champions League semifinal since dropping to Manchester United in 2009.
They may not replicate the swaggering show that blew Madrid away 3-0 within the first leg, regardless of a frenzied ambiance as kick-off approached.
When Arsenal’s gamers gathered for a pre-match huddle within the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his teammates to provide the whole lot as he roared: “If we do not have the ball we die.”
However PSG had already eradicated Premier League champions Liverpool within the final 16 and Aston Villa within the quarterfinals, after getting back from two targets all the way down to beat Manchester Metropolis within the league section.
Arsenal had been the one English aspect that they had failed to overcome, dropping 2-0 in north London in October.
Nevertheless, PSG had been with out the influential Dembele for disciplinary causes on that event and Luis Enrique insisted his aspect had been “extra full” seven months on.
OUT-GUNNED
Dembele took simply 4 minutes to show the purpose because the France star began and completed a ruthless raid.
Taking possession within the centre circle, Dembele labored the ball out to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Georgian drove at Jurrien Timber with intent.
Dembele had carried on his run into the Arsenal space and Kvaratskhelia’s completely weighted cross picked him out for a scientific end that went in off the far publish.
Ousmane Dembélé.
#ARSPSG (0-1) | #UCL pic.twitter.com/GsVmfG2EDj
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 29, 2025
Having seized the momentum, Dembele was proving arduous for Arsenal to deal with, his intelligent run and cross reaching Want Doue for a low strike that David Raya saved at full stretch.
Arsenal had been out-gunned however they need to have equalised simply earlier than halftime when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s elegant cross discovered Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot was beautifully saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arsenal thought that they had drawn stage two minutes into the second half when Mikel Merino headed dwelling from Rice’s free-kick, however their celebrations had been untimely as VAR disallowed the aim for offside towards the Spain midfielder.
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 is how shut Arsenal had been to an equaliser 🤯❌
📺 Stream #UCL on DStv: pic.twitter.com/3paRxqzuUV
— SuperSport Soccer ⚽️ (@SSFootball) April 29, 2025
Leandro Trossard was inches away from equalising when Rice’s cross despatched him bursting into the PSG space for a shot that Donnarumma brilliantly tipped away.
Feeling the shift within the steadiness of energy, PSG seemed to take the sting out of the sport by enjoying at a slower tempo.
The tactic nearly labored to perfection when Bradley Barcola sauntered via, however with simply Raya to beat he dragged his shot vast of the far publish.
It was a woeful miss, leaving Luis Enrique holding his head in disbelief.
The PSG coach discovered himself in the very same shocked pose moments later when Goncalo Ramos fired towards the bar from shut vary as one other massive probability to double the visiting aspect’s lead late on went begging.
