With a 1-0 win in the opening match of the Champions League against Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain seized control of the match.
In the opening minutes of the match, Dembele scored and Luis Enrique’s side held on to the lead with a composed display that kept Arsenal at bay.
As the first team to win the tournament for the first time, PSG will enter the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7th as favorites to face Barcelona or Inter Milan.
Given their long history of epic European collapses, the French champions should not be taken for granted.
Arsenal’s attempt to capture their first Champions League title was dealt a painful blow by their 18 home European defeats.
Arsenal’s semi-final run was described as a “beautiful story,” according to Mikel Arteta.
They aren’t yet dead and buried, so the final chapter might be frustrating to read.
Real Madrid’s champions made their Champions League semifinal appearance with a 5-1 aggregate win, making it their first since 2009’s defeat to Manchester United.
Despite a frantic atmosphere as kick-off approached, they were unable to replicate the swaggering display that gave Madrid a 3-0 lead in the opening game.
Declan Rice pleaded with his team-mates to give everything during a pre-game huddle in the tunnel as he yelled, “If we don’t have the ball, we die.”
Arteta’s video message to fans to raise the roof was a similar rousing song that was played on the Emirates screens.
After coming back from two goals down to defeat Manchester City in the league phase, PSG had already defeated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
With a 2-0 defeat in north London in October, Arsenal was the only English team they could not defeat.
However, PSG was unable to use Dembele for disciplinary reasons that day, and Luis Enrique insisted his team were “more complete” after seven months.
Out-gunned
Dembele’s only four minutes as the France star launched and finished a brutal raid proved his point.
Dembele worked the ball out to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the center circle before intently shooting at Jurrien Timber.
Dembele had made a successful run into the Arsenal area, but Kvaratskhelia’s perfectly weighted pass sent him in for a clinical finish that struck the far post.
After gaining the lead, PSG went to the end and headed home from the crossbar to the Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
When Timber appeared to stop the forward from bursting into the area with his arm around his chest, Kvaratskhelia’s strong penalty appeal was ignored.
After attacking Timber once more, Kvaratskhelia was unaffected, forcing Raya to flee.
Dembele’s clever run and pass to Desire Doue for a low strike that Raya saved at the very end was equally difficult for Arsenal to handle.
Arsenal were outgunned, but Gabriel Martinelli should have equalized just before half-time thanks to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s sublime pass, who saved the ball superbly from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Two minutes into the second half, when Mikel Merino headed home from Rice’s free kick, Arsenal looked confident that they had already equalized, but VAR forbade their celebrations as a result.
When Rice’s pass caused him to slam into the PSG area for a shot Donnarumma skillfully tipped away, Arteta’s men had the momentum, and Leandro Trossard was just inches away from equalizing.
PSG attempted to stop the sting from the game by moving more slowly in response to the shift in power balance.
Bradley Barcola sauntered through with almost flawless accuracy, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post with only Raya to beat.
Luis Enrique held his head in disbelief following the terrible miss.
Source: Channels TV
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