PSG pass masters make Rice and Arsenal’s fears come true

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.