If Arsenal are to reach their second UEFA Champions League final, they will have to do it the hard way, after an Ousmane Dembele goal in the fourth minute gave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) a vital 1-0 victory in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. PSG, who bossed the early exchanges, had chances late on through Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos, while Arsenal were left to reflect on a Mikel Merino header ruled out for offside by VAR early in the second half.
The goal came from a sniping run by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia down the left. His delightful cut-back with the outside of his right boot was tucked away into the far corner with a first-time shot that caught David Raya by surprise. PSG dominated possession the first 20-odd minutes before Arsenal finished the half strongly.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special,” said Mikel Arteta
Either side of the Merino header that was chalked off, Gianluigi Donnarumma produced stunning saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, just as he had in the earlier rounds against Liverpool and Aston Villa. At the other end, Barcola, who came on when Dembele went off injured, slid a shot just past the post, and Ramos toe-poked a strike on to the crossbar. Had either gone in, the tie would have been as good as over.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special,” said Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, afterwards. “We’re going to have to do something special in Paris to be there.”
Arsenal lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the 2006 final, while PSG also came up short in their only final, a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
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