Ousmane Dembélé’s early goal earned Paris Saint-Germain a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final against Arsenal, bringing an end to the Gunners’ impressive 17-match unbeaten streak at home in European competitions.
This match featured a captivating clash between two sides often considered the nearly men of the UCL, but it was PSG—making their fourth semi-final appearance in six years—who took the lead in the fourth minute.
The goal came from a well-known source: Dembélé, who combined superbly with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before slotting a precise left-footed shot in off the post, leaving Emirates Stadium in stunned silence.
This marked Dembélé’s 25th goal of the calendar year and his 11th contribution in this season’s Champions League, setting a new club record for PSG.
The Gunners struggled to handle the pressure generated by Luis Enrique’s squad, with David Raya making several crucial saves, including a reflex stop to deny Kvaratskhelia and a remarkable one-handed save to thwart a well-placed effort from Désiré Doué.
As the first half came to a close, Arsenal showed signs of life, albeit without seriously challenging Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made another impressive one-handed save to deny Gabriel Martinelli just before the whistle.
In a promising start to the second half, Arsenal believed they had equalised when Mikel Merino found the net with a header from Declan Rice’s free-kick, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
This setback seemed to invigorate Mikel Arteta’s side, with Donnarumma once again forced into action to stop a powerful shot from Leandro Trossard.
While everything seemed to be going well for PSG, they faced an unexpected setback when Dembélé had to leave the pitch with an injury and was replaced by Bradley Barcola.
Barcola aimed to make an immediate impact after coming on, assisting João Neves, but the Portuguese midfielder shot well over the bar.
Neves wasn’t finished, though, and soon came tantalisingly close to finding the net after an exquisite team move from PSG, only to see his angled effort narrowly miss the far post.
Gonçalo Ramos attempted to score as well but saw his unconventional toe-poke strike crash against the crossbar.
Ultimately, Dembélé’s goal made the crucial difference in London, securing only PSG’s second win in their last five outings across all tournaments.
This defeat also curtails Arsenal’s 12-match unbeaten run, leaving them with significant work to do in Paris in just over a week’s time if they hope to secure their first UCL appearance in 19 years.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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