Paris Saint-Germain seized the benefit of their Champions League semi-final towards Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win within the first leg on Tuesday.
Paris Saint-Germain’s French ahead #10 Ousmane Dembele (R) celebrates after scoring his staff first aim towards Arsenal(AFP)
Dembele struck within the opening minutes on the Emirates Stadium and Luis Enrique’s facet held on to the lead with a composed show that saved Arsenal at bay.
PSG will head into the second leg on the Parc des Princes on Could 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.
“We showed the kind of team we are. We tried to play our way and scored the goal early playing that way,” PSG boss Luis Enrique stated.
“We suffered sometimes but could have scored the second goal. The second match is going to be very tough.
“The outcome means slightly benefit for us. We are able to go to the ultimate however there may be nonetheless one match.”
Arsenal’s first defeat in 18 home European matches was a painful blow to their own bid to win a first Champions League crown.
Mikel Arteta had labelled Arsenal’s run to the semi-finals a “lovely story”.
The last chapter might make for frustrating reading, but Arteta insisted they aren’t dead and buried just yet.
“We put a lot into the sport. It is half-time and we now have an enormous probability to be within the last,” the Gunners boss said.
“We struggled within the first quarter-hour to get momentum and dominance, however ultimately I used to be disillusioned to not get a draw no less than. That is the margins, that is the extent.”
The Gunners had beaten holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League semi-final since losing to Manchester United in 2009.
They could not replicate the swaggering display that blew Madrid away 3-0 in the first leg, despite a frenzied atmosphere as kick-off approached.
When Arsenal’s players gathered for a pre-match huddle in the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his team-mates to give everything as he roared: “If we do not have the ball we die.”
But PSG had already eliminated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, after coming back from two goals down to beat Manchester City in the league phase.
Arsenal were the one English side they had failed to conquer, losing 2-0 in north London in October.
However, PSG were without the influential Dembele for disciplinary reasons on that occasion and Luis Enrique insisted his side were “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 move picked him out for a medical end that went in off the far submit.
Having seized the momentum, Dembele was proving onerous for Arsenal to deal with, his intelligent run and move 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 half-time when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s elegant move discovered Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot was beautifully saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arsenal thought they’d drawn stage two minutes into the second half when Mikel Merino headed dwelling from Rice’s free-kick, however their celebrations have been untimely as VAR disallowed the aim for offside towards the Spain midfielder.
Leandro Trossard was inches away from equalising when Rice’s move 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 large of the far submit.
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 facet’s lead late on went begging.