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In his final message, Arsenal assembled in a huddle before facing Paris St-Germain, who presented the formidable threat signaling the danger. Declan Rice captured the spirit and signaled the danger.

As their warm-up session before the Champions League semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium came to an end, Rice remarked, “If we don’t have the ball, we die.”

Arsenal are still in a tie, but they are undoubtedly struggling to stay alive as they trail 1-0 heading into the Paris return, primarily because they were unable to follow Rice’s instructions in the crucial opening stages.

An extravagant display of fireworks and pyrotechnics set the stage for Arsenal’s first Champions League semifinal match in 16 years, all set against a massive banner that read “make it happen.”

PSG orchestrated it, exactly as Rice so fervently feared, and it was exactly how it was done.

The 26-pass move culminated with Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute finish over Arsenal keeper David Raya from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s delivery. Rice’s warning delivered in the most agonizing manner, as if it were PSG in a microcosm.

In the first 26 minutes, PSG’s team had a total of 71.6% of possession, which set the stage for the game’s return to Paris for next Wednesday’s second leg, which they will take advantage of by returning a bucket of ice cold water over what had been a white-hot environment.

In Arsenal’s second half, PSG recorded a remarkable passing accuracy of 86.5%, and the ratio was 165 passes to 60 in total.

The most significant harm had been done, in fact, when Arsenal finally digested Rice’s memo.

Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, stated: “We are disappointed with the outcome. We put a lot of effort into the game. We struggled for the first ten or fifteen minutes to establish dominance and momentum, but we were at least disappointed not to draw.

He praised Dembele’s achievement by stating, “That is always the danger.” They deserve credit. They escape a close situation. We had seven players behind the ball, all of whom were skilled. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge the individual’s talent.

As the Champions League transitioned to its new league table format and how it displayed, this PSG was different from the one that lost 2-0 in tame fashion here in October.

In the ensuing months, coach Luis Enrique has created a PSG side that is top-notch from the back, while his personal attention has benefited the most from Desire Doue’s brilliant teenager, while coaxing the most from Dembele, who flattered at Barcelona.

And in what might be the most important turning point of the era of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, they added the young Georgian genius Kvaratskhelia to a thrilling attack.

However, since then PSG have divided the Premier League elite, with Liverpool losing on penalties in the last 16 and Aston Villa advancing in the quarter-finals.

Donnarumma has played a significant role.

With crucial saves from both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on either side of half-time, he made amends for his previous Emirates bumbling.

Arsenal will accept the hope that those chances will provide in Paris, but as they try to recover this parable, they will now have to play with seriousness against PSG. The French champions may just like that approach in those circumstances, though.

When a Video Assistant Referee checked early in the second half, Mikel Merino’s smart header was ruled out for Arsenal, there was resentment.

It was obvious why Rice once more called it right when he expressed his frustration with his midfield partner and disruptor Thomas Partey after receiving a yellow card in the comfortable second-leg win against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, which had given him the upper hand as Arsenal reeled.

Arsenal will undoubtedly find Rice’s words at the Parc des Princes to be true, but some things are easier said than done and it may already be too late to save their chances of reaching their first Champions League title since they lost to Barcelona in Paris in 2006, according to Rice.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to eve of the match.

After falling short in their semi-final first leg, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says his side must “do something special in Paris.”

The Gunners must win the first leg of the second leg at the Parc des Princes next week after Ousmane Dembele’s early strike at the Emirates left them with a one-goal deficit against Paris St-Germain.

Arsenal ultimately found it frustrating at Emirates Stadium because none of their five shots were converted.

“You must do something special if you want to win the Champions League final,” the statement read. We’ll need to participate in something special there, Arteta said.

The hosts grew into the match in the opening 20 minutes, but PSG continued to be irritated by the French side’s strong defense, failing to score in a Champions League home game for the first time since February 2016.

There are many chances for us to make the final. You must do something unique in the competition to be eligible for the final, as I repeatedly say. And Paris will be the place to do it, Arteta said.

PSG are aiming for their first Champions League title while Arsenal haven’t reached the final since 2005-2006.

Luis Enrique’s side relied on Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep them out of trouble, as they did earlier in the campaign against Liverpool and Aston Villa.

The 26-year-old kept a clean sheet and made five saves, including crucial one-on-one stops to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

We now face Donnarumma, one-on-one with two of our front players, in the end. The goal was different if it was scored. He saved like he did against Liverpool and Villa, which is what made the Champions League difference, Arteta said.

Enrique claims that the shot stopper was only carrying out his duties.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to eve of the match.

In 2026, Les Kiss will take over as Australia’s head coach, leading the Wallabies to their first-ever home Rugby World Cup.

Before leading the Wallabies to the first Nations Cup of next year, Schmidt will continue in his position until the upcoming Test series against the British and Irish Lions and the Rugby Championship.

Kiss, who previously served as an Ireland assistant coach under Schmidt, will serve as the Queensland Reds’ head coach until 2026, when Rugby Australia announces an “orderly transfer” in leadership.

The “honor of a lifetime” will be led by Australian Kiss, who will become the Wallabies’ fifth head coach in seven years.

The 60-year-old said, “I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead the Wallabies as head coach from next year,” adding that it’s an “incredibly exciting time for Australian rugby.”

Joe and I have a strong relationship and a long history of working together, and I’m looking forward to building on the solid foundations he laid with the Wallabies,” said Kiss, who was formerly Ulster’s director of rugby and London Irish’s head coach.

Schmidt, a native of New Zealand, had planned to leave in October after winning the Rugby Championship, but he has since extended his stay to facilitate Kiss’ handover.

Following a turbulent start for the Wallabies, Eddie Jones became the former Ireland manager in 2023.

Before the 2023 World Cup, replacement Dave Rennie was fired following England’s quarter-final defeat in the 2019 World Cup.

Before the tournament, Jones signed a five-year deal that ran for only nine months as Australia, for the first time in their history, crashed out of the pool.

Schmidt, who has won six of his 13 matches in charge, said, “My intention to finish at the end of this year’s rugby championship has been adjusted to fit Les’ availability.”

It was crucial to coordinate with his responsibilities there because I believe he is doing a fantastic job with the Reds.

“It has certainly been a privilege to play for the Wallabies; the staff and players have worked hard, but we all know there will be a lot more work to do with the British and Irish Lions here in a few months.”